Demonic Dreams
by VampireNaomi
Summary: After the second season, Valmont is busy bringing The Dark Hand back to business, but an unfortunate encounter with magic brings him together with a very unwelcome person... Bai Tsa, the water demon. V/BT later on. On hiatus again.
1. Cursed

**IMPORTANT! - **This story is on a hiatus. I have no idea if/when I will continue it. If you decide to read the story, please keep in mind that it's unfinished.

**DEMONIC DREAMS**

**Chapter 1**

"Hsi Wu, what are you doing?"

The sky demon flinched and turned around as he heard his sister's voice.

"Nothing," he snapped and tried to hide something in his big claws. It was a useless attempt because Bai Tsa knew better than well what her weak brother was guarding. She had been keeping an eye on him for a while now and believed she was the only one who knew of his dirty secret.

"It's that mortal machine, isn't it?" she asked slyly and brushed Hsi Wu's cheek with the tip of her tail. He glared at her.

"What if it is?" he growled.

Bai Tsa laughed. "And it has moving pictures of that mortal girl who ruined our chance of freedom, am I correct? I wonder why you're so attracted to watching her?" she asked.

"Seeing her face and listening to her voice remind me of how much I hate her. There will be a time for my revenge..." the sky demon muttered and slit his eyes to something only he could see.

"As you wish," Bai Tsa said softly. She knew what Hsi Wu was really looking for in the machine. He didn't gaze at it to feed his thirst for revenge, but to fuel something entirely else. The water demon shook her head to herself. Sometimes she thought Hsi Wu was the sickest of her brothers. He had always lusted after child slaves.

Out of a sudden thought she dove at her brother and snatched the camera from him. Hsi Wu yelled in surprise and anger and jumped at his sister. However, he was too slow and the water demon had already sped away, slithering to another direction with surprising agility.

"Give that back!" the sky demon growled and flew after her.

Bai Tsa passed Po Kong who was sitting on a rock and looking very bored.

"I stole Hsi Wu's pleasure thing!" the water demon exclaimed, but the mountain demon didn't even blink. I guess she's sleeping her eyes closed again, Bai Tsa thought to herself. Oh well, she could have fun even without her sister.

She glanced behind her back and noticed that Hsi Wu was getting a little too close. The water demon increased her speed. Her heart was beating in her chest. Finally something exciting! She laughed as she ran from her brother and pressed his beloved camera against her chest.

Hsi Wu would catch her; she had known that from the beginning. But the fun didn't have to end just yet. A little out of breath, she stopped on a wide rock and turned to look at her approaching brother.

"Look what I've got!" Bai Tsa triumphed and raised the camera above her head to annoy the other demon.

"Give that back if you don't want to get seriously hurt!" Hsi Wu growled a warning. His red eyes burned with hatred. He must really want that little girl, Bai Tsa thought a little disturbed. Even she found Hsi Wu's tastes slightly shocking.

"And what do you think you can do?" she asked playfully.

"Anything I want. Tchang Zu and the rest are having fun with Shendu and nobody will hear your screams," the sky demon threatened.

Bai Tsa laughed at his face. "You're amusing, Hsi Wu," she said. In truth she didn't want to anger her brother too much. After all, his claws were sharp. Getting a closer look at them wasn't one of her main priorities at the moment. But some fun every now and then wasn't wrong, right?

"Give it back!"

Bai Tsa sighed. "Can't you come up with anything else? Imagine, I already thought you were cleverer than Dai Gui..." She brought the camera in front of her face and gave it a thoughtful eye. "Well, if you like it so much... Catch!"

Without a warning she hurled it away. For a moment both demons watched it fly, but then Hsi Wu rose to his wings and dove after it. Bai Tsa sighed.

It had been fun while it had lasted. In frustration she slithered away, not knowing how to amuse herself next.

"Hsi Wu can be so ridiculous," she muttered. "Drooling after such a mortal girl. She doesn't even have curves!" She had always found Hsi Wu's lovers peculiar. Like that horrible insect creature... Bai Tsa couldn't remember her name anymore, but she had looked terrifying. She could still remember how shocked she had been to find out that the thing was female.

And unfortunately that was one of her clearest memories.

She landed to lie on a stone and slashed the air with her tail. Perhaps Hsi Wu was just being desperate. It was over a thousand years since any of them had enjoyed the pleasures of flesh and Bai Tsa had to admit that if a man, anyone, was offered to her, she'd take the chance.

Now that she thought about it, she didn't understand why she hadn't enjoyed herself during her short freedom. Unlike many of her siblings, she had had the opportunity.

"If that stupid Shendu had done something right for a change, I'd still be free," she muttered angrily. For a moment she considered joining her siblings and letting Shendu see just how much she hated him. Then she decided against it. She wasn't in a cruel enough mood yet.

Valmont was in the most perfect of moods. He was back in San Francisco and most of all, he was free! Free of Shendu and his horrible siblings forever. Never again would he have to look at red eyes, hear hissing threats or waste one single thought at Chinese magic.

Yes, Valmont was planning a completely magic-free, brilliant future.

A quick glance at his Swiss back account had shown him that he still had a little money. Not much though, since Shendu had spent a fortune on travelling and buying himself a small collection of antiques and neglected all of the Brit's business. None of his old business partners were in contact with him.

But he didn't care. He was free to start everything from the beginning. He had already contacted his men and he believed he could convince them that in the end it was the best to return to his service. Of course, he wouldn't be able to pay them right now, but he doubted that mattered much.

He had problems too, though. Chan now knew of the Dark Hand hideout at the Helms Fish Cannery and he couldn't return there. Not that he missed the horrible, vile place, but a roof on top of one's head was never a bad thing.

He had been forced into renting a small apartment from a shady neighbourhood. It was far from everything that was important to him and the baby next door kept him awake every night. It would just have to do until he had regained his chance of getting something a little more tolerable.

Valmont stopped to take a look at his reflection in a shop's window. No demon staring back at him. Only his own painfully handsome face. He smiled to himself and straightened his tie a little. He was just about to continue his walk when he noticed something he simply couldn't pass.

An old woman had stopped right next to him to look at the same window and the goods behind it. She was black and dressed in a thick coat. Her face was covered in wrinkles, but two dark and lively eyes stared from the middle of them. She was holding a purse, practically clutching it against herself. There had to be something really valuable in there.

Valmont smirked to himself and glanced around. Normally he wouldn't have bothered, but there was nobody around, and she didn't look like she could do something. With one step he shoved her away and grabbed her purse.

"Hey! Give it back!" She turned out to be surprisingly fast and grabbed Valmont's worn-out suit.

"Let go of me!" Valmont snapped and tried to push her away. She fought against him like an enraged dog and the Brit started regretting he had done anything. Petty crimes weren't his style anyway. But when one was on the bottom...

The woman caught a hold of Valmont's hair. He struggled and managed to free himself, but he had to pay a price in the form of a handful of white hair. Valmont yelped in pain and glared at the woman.

"Watch what you're doing!" he snapped, but thought it would be for the best to run while it was still possible. He pressed the stolen purse against his chest and dashed off.

"You'll pay for this, you- !" the woman shouted after him.

Well, this was useless, Valmont thought as he went through his catch. There was nothing of value in the purse. It was filled with bags containing some sort of herbs and a few strange necklaces. He found a few bucks, but that was it.

"This wasn't worth the trouble," he said and rubbed the skin on his head where the woman had attacked his hair. Good thing the loss wasn't too big and Valmont believed nobody would notice a thing.

He threw the purse into a garbage bin and walked away.

"I am so bored!" Bai Tsa growled at Xiao Fung. The wind demon rested on a stone with half closed eyes.

"Then come up with something to do," he yawned.

Bai Tsa looked at him in disgust. "How can you just sleep there? Don't you have anything else in mind?" she asked.

Xiao Fung opened his eyes and looked at his sister with a wide smile. "No," he said and rested his huge head on his paws. "Sleeping is the best thing you can do here - after torturing Shendu, of course."

Bai Tsa only sighed in frustration. Sleeping... She didn't want to sleep! She wanted to experience something real. "You're horrible!" she snapped to her already sleeping brother and slithered away. Her brows were in an angry frown and her movements edgy.

She had to get out! She wanted to live! This pathetic dimension where she was locked in offered her nothing. Now that she had been free for one, sweet moment it felt intolerable to think that never again would she see anything but rocks and the red sky. Hear nothing but the arguments of her siblings...

Bai Tsa grabbed her head and screamed with rage. "I want out of here!" In her sudden anger she dashed away without thinking where she was going. All she knew was that she wanted as far away from her siblings as possible.

Red sky and brown rocks flashed in her eyes as she slithered among them. Perhaps she somehow thought she'd break free again if she just continued long enough and was desperate enough.

Finally she crashed into a rock and lay on it, panting. The water demon didn't know how far she had come or where she was, but she was no longer interested. "I wish I were at least dead," she muttered to herself.

"This would never have happened in New Orleans!" Ann Bourbon told her daughter as she stepped inside.

"What?" her daughter, Marie, asked patiently. She wore an indifferent expression. She had thought her mother was odd back when she had lived in New Orleans. Now that she only saw her mother when she came to visit, Marie knew she was insane when the mood hit her.

"I was assaulted in bright daylight! And he was a Brit, too!" Ann snapped and slammed the door shut. Her face was burning with anger as she sat next to Marie.

"What? Are you alright?" Marie asked in worry. Why was it that her mother got into these messes every time she was away from home?

"Of course I am, but he stole my purse! Thank God I didn't have anything valuable there," Ann said.

"Everything's fine, then?"

"Fine? No! 'Sall because of this city! If you hadn't married that salesman and moved away this wouldn't have happened! Why didn't you marry Willy and stay home? You really hate your own family that much?" Ann ranted and Marie rolled her eyes. She had already heard this lecture and knew it by heart.

"Mom, please. We've talked about this. George's a good man and we like this city. His father lives here and needs someone to take care of him. And it's just as good as New Orleans," she said.

Ann snorted. "Bah! I should curse that man of yours along with that Brit..."

A careful expression appeared in Marie's eyes. "Mom, what are you going to do? Haven't I told you that you shouldn't play with those toys? You'll hurt someone." Her mother's hobby, as she thought of it, had always made her feel uneasy. Marie was a modern woman all the way through and didn't believe in anything supernatural and she didn't like her mother being so involved with the nonsense.

"Toys? Look what this city has done to you, darling. These toys, like you call them, are part of our culture and identity. When used right they offer enormous power. Just think about Marie Laveau!" Ann snapped sharply.

"She lived over a century ago. We, on the other hand, live in the present day and voodoo is no longer anything but games and childish gris gris. Love potions, causing a stomach ache to horrible neighbours and lucky charms," Marie tried to explain. "Just let the man go." The last thing she wanted was to have her mother sued by someone whom she had tried to curse.

Ann rose to her feet and eyed her daughter murderously. "That's it! I'm not going to listen to how you insult our ancestors' religion! I was going to give him a small warning, but now I see that you must be reminded of the true power of voodoo!" she threatened and waved strands of white hair in her hand.

"Mom, don't..." Marie asked, but she couldn't make her mother change her mind.

"Don't say a thing. That man will learn he shouldn't step on my toes."

Valmont didn't notice anything odd when he went to sleep.

Bai Tsa's eyes were closed. She was tired. Physically because she had exhausted herself in her anger, and mentally because there was no hope of escaping. She was trapped forever.

The rock was hard under her scales and she moved her tail lazily. It had been so long since the ancient times. Her memories of family, friends, slaves and lovers had faded and she could no longer remember what their voices had sounded like. Faces were nothing but blur.

For centuries she had had nobody but her siblings. Through some miracle she hadn't lost her mind, even if everything else was gone. She tried to recall the face of her last lover. He had been a demon of dew and more delicate than the majority of demons. His name had been...

The water demon realised that she couldn't remember. Years had erased the name that had used to be on her lips in the darkest hours of the night. What good was it to dream of someone whose name you could no longer recall?

Since the past offered so little to remember, Bai Tsa concentrated on the present. She thought about her short freedom and the sea. About everything she had done, experienced and seen. The ruined city of Atlantis and the high buildings of the mortals. Shendu who had foiled everything, as usual.

Bai Tsa sighed. Thinking about Shendu reminded her of someone else. Her brother had been sealed in a very interesting body. What had his name been again?

She tried to remember the name. Valm... ont? She couldn't be sure. It had been indifferent to her back then, and she regretted it a little now. He had been an interesting mortal. Brave enough to disobey Shendu and stupid enough to expect help from a demon.

Bai Tsa imagined.

The room was dim and candles spread fading, playing light around. The ground under her was soft and cool.

Bai Tsa sat up and looked at herself. Her scales were gone and instead of a tail she had two delicate legs. She lifted one and let her hands travel down her calf to her ankle. All she was wearing was a loose, brown robe made of silk.

The next thing she noticed was that she wasn't alone. There was a man next to her. And not just any man either. She would have recognised that white hair and strong nose anywhere. He was wearing something Bai Tsa suspected of being some modern piece of cloth.

"This is strange," she muttered to herself. Was she dreaming? She had never had dreams about men as she had always been able to fulfil her desires in real life. Not even the countless years in the Netherworld had changed that.

For a while she just sat there, but then she bent closer to whisper something into the sleeping man's ear. If she was dreaming, why not enjoy it? The man woke up with a start and looked at her in surprise, clearly not understanding anything.

"Who are you?" he asked as he sat up. "And where am I?"

"What does it matter, Valmont?" Bai Tsa asked hoping that she had got the name right.

"How do you know my name? What is going on in here?" Valmont asked. He looked like he was about to stand up and try finding an exit in the room.

"Shut up, fool!" Bai Tsa snapped and pushed the man down on his back. She pressed a kiss on his lips, not caring about that Valmont didn't respond to it. In fact, he was struggling against her. She didn't mind.

Soon she would take her real form and then the fun would begin...

"Bai Tsa, what are you doing?"

Now it was Hsi Wu's turn to interrupt someone in a private moment. Bai Tsa's eyes snapped open and she sat up quickly.

"How dare you creep on me like that?" she asked, quite too aware of the blush on her face.

Hsi Wu chuckled to himself and turned to fly away, leaving a very angry Bai Tsa behind. The water demon glared after her brother and swore she'd hurt him later.

Her dream has seemed very real. In fact, it had almost left her in a very non-satisfied state. When she closed her eyes she could almost feel it all again.

"Fascinating," Bai Tsa muttered. Dreams weren't supposed to be that real. It was as if she had actually experienced all that. It was possible with strong spells, but she dismissed that thought. She hadn't cast any and there was nobody else who might have.

Perhaps she would have to talk to Tso Lan about it? He knew more about dreams and their messages than anyone else in the family. On the other hand, Bai Tsa wasn't particularly eager to explain this dream to her older brother.

"Gah!"

Valmont sat up panting and pressed his hand against his chest. He couldn't remember when he had last time had such a real dream. The subject had been great, but he felt everything but good.

He felt like something really horrible and dirty had been about to happen. It confused and worried him since he had never been very conservative about his night life.

"I hope I'm not going insane," he muttered. It was shocking that a dream about a beautiful woman made him so nervous.

He drew a quick breath and wiped sweat off his brow. His hand shook a little and he really wanted to take a shower. A pity he didn't have one in the small hole he called home. At least he had a sink which he used to wash his face.

Valmont hoped the dream wouldn't come back.

"Hey, Big V, you look sick. Did you sleep at all last night?"

Valmont turned to glare at the red-haired man by his side. "I slept quite enough, thank you!" he snapped and Finn shrugged with an annoyed expression.

"Fine, fine. Just trying to be polite here," he muttered and shot a knowing glance at his friends around the table.

"I don't pay you for that," Valmont stated.

"Last time I checked you didn't pay me for anything right now." Ratso and Chow nodded to Finn's words and Valmont felt a strong desire to kick the three out. He suppressed the feeling though because - as much as he hated admitting it - he needed the trio if he wanted to get back on top.

"It doesn't have to stay that way. I have a plan," he said and flashed a self-confident grin at the others.

"I hope it's not like the 'Get that statue for me. I feel it'll bring us luck.' plan," Ratso said brewing his coffee.

"Stop it! I don't have to include you. Out there is an entire line of men waiting to get into my service!" Valmont snapped. Okay, perhaps that wasn't true, but that wasn't the point.

"Just tell us the plan. Then we'll see what we're going to do. There are other jobs available and considering how we got screwed up last time..." Finn said.

"Fine." Valmont spent a moment looking everyone in the eyes. "It's very simple. I know a small but expensive jewellery store. I've been keeping an eye on the place and the owner takes his money to the bank every Friday, always at the same time. If we take the place on Thursday night we'll get a nice basis for rebuilding the Dark Hand," he explained.

Finn didn't look convinced. "And the risks? What about the alarm system?" he wanted to know.

"Nothing out of ordinary. Breaking the window will cause the police to arrive, but we're still going to have enough time to collect our share and leave," Valmont said.

"And how do we do that?" Chow asked in suspicion.

"Yeah. We don't even have a car," Ratso said. He sipped his coffee. It was already cold, but he didn't seem to mind.

"We don't need a car as we're not even going to travel on land," Valmont said and leaned back in his chair with a smug expression in his eyes. He so loved to show off.

"Then how?"

"It looks like you've completely forgotten that the Dark Hand isn't completely in ruins yet. We still have a helicopter."

"You do realise that it arouses much more attention and is easier to track than a car?" Finn asked.

"I'm the brains of this operation. I'll take care of everything!" Valmont said. "I already contacted Hak Foo and he agreed to accompany us."

"Then it's the old gang again," Ratso stated.

"Yeah, except Shendu," Chow added.

Valmont frowned and glared at the Chinaman.

"I'd be very happy if none of you mentioned that cursed demon ever again," he said icily. The mere thought of demons made his blood boil.

"You're oddly quiet, sister," Tso Lan pointed out. Bai Tsa just shrugged and flashed a smile at her brother.

"I don't feel like raging at anyone right now," she admitted. "Not even Shendu."

"How peculiar. Are you positive you aren't feeling ill?" Tso Lan asked. Bai Tsa heard neither worry nor humour in her brother's voice. He was being his usual expressionless self.

"Come on," she said playfully.

"I have the feeling that you aren't telling me everything. Our chances of freedom were shattered a while ago. I'd think you would be in a slightly darker mood because of that," the moon demon said.

"Well, the situation isn't entirely new. We've been here for centuries and it's not going to change in a while," Bai Tsa said, now a lot more angrily than a while ago. Damn that Tso Lan. He never brought anything but unhappiness wherever he went.

"Indeed. That is why I came to talk to you. Shendu has made the others believe he has a new, almost finished plan. What do you think?" Tso Lan asked.

Bai Tsa snorted. "Him? That whimpering idiot has never come up with a bright idea," she said.

"So you don't think we should put much weight on his words?"

"What can he do? He is in an even worse situation than we, since we still possess solid bodies," Bai Tsa said.

Tso Lan said nothing to that. However, Bai Tsa knew that he wasn't finished with her yet. She didn't tell her brother to go on. He would do that in any case.

The two siblings stood in silence and neither felt the desire to continue the conversation. Aside from Po Kong, Tso Lan was the only member of the family with whom Bai Tsa could just sit with without doing or saying a thing.

"What? You can't back away now!" Valmont shouted and stared at Finn, Chow and Ratso in confusion. The trio faced their employer without even blinking.

"When we made the deal you forgot to mention that only the three of us would be going down," the Irishman stated dryly. "I think you just wanted someone stupid enough to take all the risks. That's not us."

"But..." Valmont looked from one man to another. "You can't do this! Everything is ready!"

"How? We still don't know anything about this brilliant plan of yours. Knowing you there isn't one and you just decided to send us to danger hoping that somehow we make it," Chow said.

Valmont couldn't believe what he was hearing. When had his Enforcers had had enough time to grow a spine?

"But what about the money? We'll be rich after this!" he attempted.

Finn, Chow and Ratso glanced at each other and had a quick conversation.

"Fine," Finn said. "We agree on one condition. We want everything to be shared equally."

"Of course. Half to me, half to you," Valmont agreed at once.

"There are five of us in this. Sounds interesting that four have to share the other half," Chow pointed out.

"Yeah. We want everyone to get a fair share. In fact, we should get more since we're the ones getting into danger while you and Hak Foo just sit up here," Ratso added.

For a while Valmont could do nothing but stare at the trio. Could this be true? Since when had it become his responsibility to share his money with the Enforcers? He was boiling inside, but somehow managed to control himself. He couldn't ruin this now.

"As you wish," he said poisonously. The mere thought of part of the money - his money - ending up in the hands of those fools angered him. "Everyone into the copter! Now!" he snapped.

His men did as they were told and soon they were all aboard. Hak Foo sat in the pilot's seat and didn't even nod at the rest.

Valmont walked to the back where he had stored a few wooden boxes. He opened them and put a cap on his head. Then he started going through the items and eventually pulled out a green vest and a video camera that looked like it had seen brighter days. He gave the vest to Hak Foo and placed the camera on his own shoulder.

"Big V, what are you doing?" Finn asked.

"Ensuring our escape. We are going to disguise ourselves as a film group so that nobody is going to be paying attention to us," the Brit explained. Hak Foo put on the vest and looked at it with a lifted brow. The letters BBC were written on it in huge white letters.

"Whatever you say," Finn stated. Hak Foo pulled the helicopter into the air while Valmont put on an identical vest. That, the cap and the camera made him look like a cliché wannabe movie director.

It took about twenty minutes before they were in the right place. Hak Foo took the copter as down as he could and Finn, Chow and Ratso climbed down. Valmont watched them go and held the camera tightly.

It was an old piece of junk that he had bought in someone's garage sale. He hadn't even bothered finding out if it worked because it served no purpose in his plan. After he had done a few adjustments it wouldn't have worked anyway.

He glanced at his clock when the scream of alarms alerted him. Few minutes passed and he gave his men a mental note to hurry. The police would be swarming around the place soon enough and his brilliant plan wouldn't be of any use if they were caught.

Finally he was able to sigh in relief when he saw the trio dash back and climb up. Valmont told Hak Foo to pull up and fly away.

"Hurry now!" he shouted at his men who were doing their best at climbing up with the copter on the move.

"It's not as easy as it - hey!" Finn, who was the first to arrive, stated but Valmont merely snatched the Irishman's bag. He opened it and pulled out a handful of jewels.

Money! He was rich!

Valmont couldn't stop the grin of victory from appearing to his face. He stepped aside so that the rest of his men could climb in and then closed the door.

"Brilliant!" he congratulated them and felt surprisingly enthusiastic - for the first time after Shendu had possessed him.

"I hope your escape plan is as brilliant as this," Hak Foo stated. Valmont hurried to the man's side and instantly saw what was going on. A police helicopter was getting closer.

"Give the loot to me!" he snapped at his men and opened the video camera, showing the others that it was nothing but an empty shell. The Brit stuffed all the robbed jewellery and money into it and closed it again.

"What are you going to do?" Chow asked but Valmont only told them to retreat to the back.

The police helicopter had appeared out of nowhere and hovered in the air in front of them.

"Who are you and what are you doing here?" an officer with a megaphone asked them. Valmont opened the door and peered outside. His long hair was soon a mess because of the currents of air, and he had to slit his eyes.

"We're from BBC!" he shouted as loudly as he could. Hopefully the police would hear him. "We're filming a TV show about the nightlife in San Francisco for the British television!" The camera on his shoulder made him look almost convincing.

"We are going to have to ask you to land immediately," they were told. Valmont asked Hak Foo to obey and the warrior took the copter to the roof of a near by building. The police copter followed and soon two armed men asked them to step out.

"What is going on?" Valmont asked in fake irritation. At the same time he was glad neither Section 13 nor 12 was here. Someone from there might have recognised them.

"Just do as we say and everything will be fine," one of the officers said. "So, you're from England?"

"Yes, or I am. The others are locals I hired. We're doing a reality TV show about these men." Valmont pointed to Finn, Chow and Ratso as he spoke. "They're competing on which of them gets the most women in the shortest amount of time," he explained.

Both officers chuckled. It looked like it was a show to their liking. Then they grew serious again.

"We're sorry to bother you, but we have to search your helicopter. There has been a robbery and we suspect the culprits fled by a copter. A routine check, you understand," one of them said.

"Of course. Go ahead," Valmont said with a smile. The officers climbed into the helicopter and went through everything from the boxes to possible hidden lockers. After a while they had to give up.

"Looks like you have nothing to do with this," the taller one said. Then his attention suddenly turned to Valmont's camera. "Hey, are you filming this?"

Valmont blinked. "Uh... of course! The Englishmen love nothing more than seeing hunky American police officers in action! This will make a brilliant special episode!" he replied quickly.

The officers stood straighter. One of them winked at the camera. "Wait 'till my wife hears about this."

They were asked a few questions and given phone numbers in case they remembered anything peculiar, but soon it was over and they could leave. After getting back into the air everyone sighed in relief.

"Whoa, it worked!" Chow said in surprise.

"Of course it did! It was my idea!" Valmont said and didn't even feel like getting annoyed at the man's comment. He was in a too brilliant mood and he felt like nothing could have ruined it.

What they did after that was obvious. After hiding the helicopter to an old warehouse on the edges of the city they dashed to the nearest bar to celebrate their first victory in a long time.

Hak Foo, who was clearly the calmest of them, bent closer to Finn. "Do you think it's such a good idea to let him drink that much?" he whispered.

The Irishman only shrugged and snorted. Valmont was obviously having a great time and he had lost count on how many glasses he had drunk.

"Nah, let him be. He hasn't had much to celebrate lately. Just like us," Finn said and Hak Foo realised that perhaps he should learn to relax a little. Still, watching how Valmont got wasted he felt that he should have done something about it.

His suspicions turned out to be justified when Valmont collapsed on the table.

When Valmont opened his eyes he noticed that he was back in the strange room. He sat up and looked around.

It looked like he was inside of a hut made of earth and branches and lit by candles. The floor was simply earth and there was no furniture. A few clay vases stood on the other side of the room. On top of that the strange woman was still there dressed in the brown robe. Valmont himself was wearing something he never thought he would.

I look just like Chan, he thought to himself as he looked at the explorer's uniform on him.

"Hello," the woman said. She had long, curly black hair and was clearly Asian. Her eyes were black as coal, her skin a shade darker than Valmont's and she lay curled on the floor.

"Who are you?" Valmont asked. Of course, this was only a dream, he understood that, but he still didn't want to have anything to do with her before he at least knew her name. What had almost happened last time could not be repeated.

"What does it matter?" the woman asked and her eyes travelled around his body. Unlike last time, she didn't charge straight at him.

Valmont didn't like it how she looked at him as if he was a piece of meat at the butcher's. He was used to being the one in control.

"To me it matters," he stated coldly. "I have no intention of doing anything with you before I know something." He couldn't believe that he was saying that to a creation of his own imagination. And yet, no other dream had felt this real and he could have almost sworn that the woman was of flesh and blood.

She leaned on her hands and bent closer. Her hair tickled Valmont's face."You'll learn of me... sooner or later."

Valmont could have sworn that there was something malicious about the woman's smile and that her eyes flashes threateningly. Perhaps that too was just part of this dream.

"I'd rather learn something now," he said, but she silenced him with a kiss as she climbed on top of him.

Well, Valmont was still suspicious, but why should he have said no? It was just a dream, nothing was real. All he had to do was enjoy it while it lasted.

He lifted his hand to caress the woman's back and drew her closer. Her skin was soft under her robe.

"Wait," she said and planted soft kisses at his neck while trying to open the buttons of his shirt. Valmont closed his eyes and at first he liked what the woman was doing to him, but then something changed.

The skin that had been soft just a moment ago started feeling rough against him and he felt like she had turned... taller and heavier than before. Valmont opened his eyes.

For a second his eyes were the size of saucers and his mouth hang open. Then he did what every sensible man would have done in that situation, screamed in horror.

"Aah! Demon!" he yelped and jumped to the other side of the room. He backed as far away as he could and looked at the female with a mixture of disgust and terror. Bai Tsa!

"Oh, I can't believe this! I almost did it with a demon! I need a shower!" he wailed and begged that it was just a dream - well, it was, but it seemed more like a nightmare to him.

Bai Tsa stared at him with confusion and anger. "You aren't supposed to act like that! Come back here!" she demanded.

"No! I will never touch you!"

"You don't have the right to refuse! This is my dream, my fantasy, and you aren't even real!" Bai Tsa snapped.

There mere thought that an overgrown fish was having fantasies about him made Valmont feel sick. He was afraid of throwing up on the floor.

"Your dream? No, this is mine," he replied. "Go away at once! Shoo!"

For a while Bai Tsa only glared at him with an expressionless face. "What do you mean, mortal? Are you real?" she asked.

"Real? Of course I'm real!" Valmont said and then he understood it. Bai Tsa was a real too, not a creation of his - perhaps sick and twisted - imagination. In a way it calmed him down because it meant that he wasn't having wet dreams about a demon. On the other hand, he was stuck with her and didn't have any idea what was going on.

"How can this be? I'm supposed to be locked in the Netherworld!" Bai Tsa let out. "What is this place?"

Valmont took a look around. Everything was just like it had been, though now he paid more attention to the exit on Bai Tsa's side of the room.

"I'd rather hear why we're here," he said. Now that he had got over the first shock he felt nothing but deep disgust for the demon and slight worry about what she might do to him.

"An interesting question," Bai Tsa said. "But it does beat the Netherworld." She tried to slither closer, but Valmont did his best to keep her away.

"Don't get any closer! Go away!" he panicked. For a moment the water demon stood his ridiculous behaviour, but then she gave him a slap.

Valmont woke up screaming like a man who was being skinned alive.

"Nooo! This can't be!"

To be continued...

Something to say before I let you go. I have nothing against the Enforcers. I'm mostly writing them from Valmont's POV in the first chapters, and he tends to view them a little like that. There will be side plots with the Enforcers later and they'll get to show everyone what they are really made of.

And secondly (God, will I ever stop?), the references to Hsi Wu and Jade's camera are something I've wanted to get out of my chest for a while. I'm annoyed at that so many people seem to think that the show has some Hsi Wu/Jade subtext. It's a great couple and all that, but if he had developed a crush on her he would be a paedophile. How romantic is that, I ask you.


	2. Crime at the Bronson Mansion

I don't own Jackie Chan Adventures or anything related to it. As far as I know, Sony has all the rights and I wouldn't dream of trying to use their property to make money.

Thanks to everyone who reviewed. Also, my beta reader is experiencing computer problems, so this hasn't been checked by anyone but me.

**DEMONIC DREAMS **

**Chapter 2**

Bai Tsa woke up with a start and blinked. For a moment she merely lay there panting, but then a glorious grin spread on her face. She had got out of the Netherworld! For a moment she had been free!

"I was aware that Xiao Fung considers me boring, but I didn't expect you to fall asleep in the middle of a conversation," a dry voice said next to her.

"Tso Lan!" Bai Tsa turned to her brother and let out a laugh. Victory was flowing out of her and she didn't even try to stop her insane giggling. The moon demon looked at her as if she had gone crazy.

"Perhaps I shall come back when you're feeling better," he said, but Bai Tsa grabbed his sleeve.

"Wait! I have brilliant news!" she said. She knew she looked like she had lost it but she didn't mind. In fact, she was feeling a little out of everything.

"What?" Tso Lan asked.

"I got out of the Netherworld! I was free!" the water demon said quickly. "I mean, I was still here, but somewhere else as well! Can you imagine?"

"No, nor do I want to," Tso Lan replied.

Bai Tsa shook her head. She really had to calm down. She drew a deep breath for a few times before starting all over.

"What I mean is that twice already have I fallen asleep all of sudden and woken up somewhere else. For some reason I always end up naked in a bed with the mortal Shendu possessed. He's just as confused as I am, so the same thing must be happening to him," she said quickly.

The moon demon said nothing and Bai Tsa frowned. "Don't you realise what this means? I have discovered way to get out of here! Now I only have to learn to open a gate for you as well."

Tso Lan looked thoughtful. "Perhaps that is possible," he said then.

"You don't sound very excited," Bai Tsa pointed out.

"Because I don't think it works like that. I believe I know what this is about and I'm not sure what kind of restrictions the spell has," the moon demon said.

Bai Tsa tilted her head in interested. Tso Lan knew what was going on? "Well, what is it?" she asked.

Tso Lan drew a breath. "If I'm right it's an African spell, most likely one aided by Erzulie. As you should know, Africa is the cradle of all civilization and the oldest demons and spells were born there. This reminds me of a certain ancient African spell," he said.

"So, you've seen it in use before?"

A faint blush appeared on the moon demon's face and he shifted uncomfortably. "No, I've just read about it," he explained quickly.

"Oh. What is it like?"

"It's an old African tribal spell that was used to test the bond between a soon to be married couple. In their dreams they would have to complete a mission with someone they love the most," Tso Lan said. "Of course, someone must have twisted the spell and replaced love with hatred in order to punish either or both of you."

Bai Tsa blinked. "So I have to stand his company at random times? What if I don't want to?"

"Actually it only happens when he falls asleep. There isn't really much you can do about that. Erzulie is a powerful Loa, one of the strongest after Ogoun Badagris and Damballah. If she spell has her blessing, you can't escape it."

"Wonderful," the water demon muttered. Well, at least this gave her the chance of leaving the Netherworld for a change.

* * *

Valmont rubbed his face. Calm downhe told himself, there must be a logical explanation for this!

It simply couldn't be that he'd have to tolerate the water demon in his dreams! He might have understood it if it had been Shendu but he had never had any sort of ties with Bai Tsa. He didn't even know a thing about her -- except that she was cruel, violent, infuriating and most likely insane.

"Oh God, what am I going to do? I've clearly been cursed!"

At some point of the night his men had carried him to his miserable flat and Valmont was glad for the fact that he could be alone. He had to think and find out how to solve this particular magical problem.

And right when everything had been going so well! The previous night had been a brilliant beginning and he had had so many plans. There wasn't supposed to any obstacles in his way. He frowned, then. As far as he was concerned, this wasn't about to turn into one either.

"I will never sleep again!" he swore. He'd switch to the blackest coffee any store in San Francisco sold and make his life so healthy that he'd never have to close his eyes again. It was possible; he had read about a Tibetan monk who hadn't slept in twenty years. He could do it too. How hard could it be?

He drew a deep breath and tried to calm down. As long as he took care of this as a civilized adult he would make it. Even if everything else failed, he would get some magical help -- not the Chans this time, though.

His head was aching because of the previous night and he suspected his men weren't feeling any better. Still, Valmont naturally couldn't cure his hangover with sleep. He decided to go out for a walk. In the process he could ponder what luxury hotel would serve as his next home. Later he would meet his Enforcers again, share the loot and make further plans.

The sun was shining brightly as he stepped outside and he had to slit his eyes. He really felt like going back inside and sleeping the next two years, but he didn't even consider doing so. Dying of lack of sleep was a much more likeable option that facing Bai Tsa again.

Perhaps the curse would wear off eventually and he could concentrate on his own life for a change? Yes, it was probably so. This was what Valmont told himself and he did start feeling a little better. He headed for a busier street because he had always found it easier to think in the middle of a crowd.

Their stunt the previous night had gone better than he had expected. As he walked past newspaper stands he glanced at the headlines, but there wasn't a word about them. In a way it was good because needless publicity at this point wouldn't have done them any good. However, it hurt his pride just a little. Surely a robbery was more important than the dramatic divorce of some celebrity?

Oh well, he would soon have all the fame he needed in the world. In the meantime he had already decided which of his old business partners he would contact first. The man in question was an old friend and he thought he would be glad to hear from him again.

Of course, first he would have to get a little stronger and have some common necessities taken care of. They needed offices and the Dark Hand image would have to go through a lot of polishing before they were properly in the game again.

A loud group of kids running past him made him wince and hope that he had chosen a quieter place after all. His head was throbbing and he decided to retire somewhere where he could have at least relative peace.

As strange as it sounded, plotting and planning actually made him feel a little better. Therefore he decided to take a peek into the flat where he knew his Enforcers were currently staying. It wouldn't hurt to hear if they had any ideas, brilliant or not.

* * *

The door banged open and Valmont stepped inside. However, his loud entrance didn't have the desired effect, and his men remained in bed. Only Chow was moving and even he did it only to cover his head with his pillow.

Hak Foo, at least, wasn't in such a miserable state but he wasn't present either. Valmont suspected the man had gone out to do whatever serious warriors did in their free time.

"Wake up!" he exclaimed and clapped his hands. Chow moaned and Finn muttered something Valmont couldn't quite hear. He had to admit he wouldn't have wanted to be woken up like that either.

That didn't make him pity his men, though. He merely slammed the door shut, crossed his arms on his chest and leaned on the wall while giving them a stern glare.

"What're you doing here at time like this, Big V?" Finn asked after somehow getting himself up. The Irishman's red hair was a mess and his face looked awful. Ratso was in a similar state, but, with the help of his glasses, Chow managed to look presentable.

"We need to talk and plan our next ordeal," Valmont stated.

"Already? We just got over last one. Why such a hurry?" Chow asked.

"There is no time to lose if we want our position back!" Valmont snapped. "The beginning is always the hardest and we have to climb the ladders before something unexpected happens." At the moment he had no idea how to improve their financial situation but he guessed something would come up.

"So, what are we going to do? Five men and a helicopter can't do that much, so don't even think about planning some kind of higher scheme," Finn pointed out.

Valmont frowned at him. "I'm not quite desperate enough to listen to your advice," he said. "And to be frank, I don't have a plan yet."

"So why didn't you let us sleep?" Chow muttered with poison.

Ratso yawned. "But now that we're up, why don't we grab a bite?" he suggested.

"Ugh, I don't think I can ever get anything down again," Finn said.

Valmont lifted his palm and closed his eyes. "Really, I'm not interested. Try to get enough spine to be capable of a semi-intelligent conversation."

It took a while before Valmont's wish came true, but in the end Finn, Chow and Ratso were ready to listen patiently and suffer from the ego of their boss.

"While you were moaning and complaining I came up with an idea," the Brit stated.

"Really? What this time?" Chow asked and Valmont didn't like his sarcastic tone. Back in the golden days, when Shendu had been nothing but an ugly statue, his men wouldn't have dared to speak to him like that. A lot had changed and none of that was good.

"Don't talk to me in such a tone! I'm your employer and everything will soon be like it used to," he snapped sharply.

"I hope we also get all the earlier bonuses," Finn muttered to Ratso who only nodded. Valmont decided to ignore them for the time being. Once they were basking in glory again he would be respected.

"In any case," he announced loudly, "last night's efforts turned out to be quite profitable and we only need one more of the kind to be able to truly begin."

"What are we going to do, then?" Finn asked. "It might not be such a good idea to take another store like that. The cops and some of the Sections are probably ready."

"I know. That's why we're visiting someone out of town," Valmont said. He even knew the proper victim already.

Now Finn started to look interested and Valmont continued. "You must remember our old friend Bronson, am I correct?" he asked. That was all he had to say. The man was still fresh in everyone's mind. After Shendu, his family, the Chans, Captain Black and the rest of Section 13 Bronson was probably the person they hated the most.

Bronson had once caused them quite a lot of trouble and since that they hadn't trusted the man. Valmont felt himself grow irritated as he thought about it, even though it had been years since all that.

It was more like a scratch to his pride, in a way. Bronson wasn't the leader of a competing crime organization but simply the owner of an insurance company. The man had no moral reasons not to take care of criminals' business, and there had once been a time when Valmont had insured something valuable in the man's company.

Back then he had owned a sports car, a gift from a friend. More out of his desire to brag than anything else he had decided to insure it. Everything had gone well for one day. Then some idiot had reversed on it with a truck while it had stood parked -- on a perfectly legal spot, no less! Bronson, naturally, hadn't believed that something so unexpected could happen a day after the car had been insured so Valmont didn't get a cent out of it. He had even been accused of an insurance scam and Bronson had even hinted that his own Enforcers might have been behind it.

It had infuriated everyone who was working for him at the time. Sure, they were thieves and most of them killers as well but they'd never get involved with insurance scams. They had their limits as well.

After that day no self-respecting Dark Hand member had even spat at Bronson's direction. Ridiculous, perhaps, but wounded pride heals slowly.

"Who could forget him?" Chow asked.

"Now that yesterday has given us some self-confidence, I don't see why we couldn't remind him that he shouldn't play games with us," Valmont said. He should have done that a long time ago, but the Shendu mess had started soon after that and he hadn't had time for anything but the Talisman hunt.

Ratso shrugged. "Sounds good to me," he said.

"Thought so," Valmont said with a crooked smile.

* * *

Planning their next operation made Valmont forget the horrible dreams for the entire day. He bought The Dark Hand a van, calculated how long it would take to drive to Bronson's mansion and made a list of what they needed. Hak Foo did the shopping and Valmont was in a good mood.

"When are we going to take action?" Finn asked.

"Tomorrow," Valmont said. There was a short pause. "Hak Foo will arrive soon and I'll be leaving. I can't take this place for longer than a day."

"As if yours was any better," Chow remarked.

"At least I don't have to share it with anyone," Valmont said.

Hak Foo returned after a while, carrying ropes, hooks, flashlights and other items Valmont had sent the warrior to get. He placed it all on Chow's bed.

"This is all," he said shortly. Valmont nodded.

"Excellent."

Finn eyed the equipment warily. "I thought we were going to take what's ours back from Bronson. This looks more like we're going mountain climbing," he said.

"Don't bother yourself with thoughts like that. Just do as I tell," Valmont said and walked to the door to leave. Finn rolled his eyes behind the Brit's back.

"Good night!" Ratso said to him before he left. Valmont couldn't be bothered to reply.

It wasn't very late and the sun hadn't set yet. Valmont felt tired as he walked to his flat, and it wasn't a wonder. Most of the previous night had been spent doing something other than sleeping and his actual dreams hadn't offered him much rest either.

He had to shudder when he thought about the water demon who had taken over his sleep. She was like a snake and he remembered it all too well what her scales had felt like against his skin. What could have caused such a strange mess to happen? Was this Shendu and his family's revenge for that their plan hadn't worked? Could the demons curse him from the Netherworld?

On his way home Valmont stopped by a grocery store and bought some of the strongest coffee he could find. He knew he'd need it if he wanted to keep his promise and avoid sleeping as long as possible.

Well, he was able to find one positive thing about this unhappy case. At least he didn't have to spend his dreams with Po Kong.

* * *

It was a heavy night for Valmont. He spent most of it drinking coffee and reading old newspapers he had gathered. The news were old, the ads boring and comics stupid, but he didn't mind. As long as they kept him awake, he considered them brilliant.

He stayed up the entire night.

* * *

Back in the Netherworld Bai Tsa was sitting on a rock and slashing with her tail. Tso Lan floated next to her, noticing her state of mind.

"He's trying to avoid you," the moon demon said.

"I know," Bai Tsa growled. "It doesn't matter. He can't stay up forever. And when he does fall asleep..."

* * *

"Damn, Big V. You look tired," Finn said the next evening when they were preparing for the operation.

"Yeah, you're a mess," Chow added.

"Got no sleep?" Ratso asked. Hak Foo was the only one to keep his mouth shut. Valmont glared daggers at the other three.

"I would be very happy if you'd just concentrate on what's important at the moment," he snapped. "Does everyone have a rope?"

After making sure that everything was in order and everyone knew what to do, the group of five criminals got into the van. Hak Foo took the wheel and Valmont sat next to him.

"Do you know where Bronson lives?" he asked. Hak Foo hadn't heard of the man before, so Valmont decided to be extra careful.

"Yes," the warrior replied shortly.

"Good. Leave the van somewhere where it can't be spotted from the mansion."

Bronson lived outside San Francisco. While it wasn't one of the most popular places in the world, he had built his expensive mansion there. The trip there would take several hours, but thankfully they had left early.

He suppressed a yawn with the back of his hand and stared out the window.

"What are we going to do there?" Hak Foo's voice interrupted him. Valmont turned to look at the warrior in mild surprise. The man didn't usually talk much.

"You'll break in and grab everything that looks valuable. I assume you can do that without too much noise. I, on the other hand... I have a few plans," the Brit said. He had decided not to share all the details with his men. They would have argued back anyway. Well, Hak Foo might have not.

"What about guards? And dogs?" Hak Foo asked.

My, he's feeling talkative today, Valmont thought to himself. "You're experienced men. Surely you know how to handle a few over-fed ex-police officers. And when it comes to dogs, you have nothing to worry about. Bronson is allergic to everything that has fur and moves," he said.

When Hak Foo parked the car away from the road, Valmont wasn't feeling tired anymore. He was excited and expectant about the nearing hours. He rubbed his hands together. It was as if liquid silver was flowing through his veins.

"Is everything ready?" he asked as the others climbed out.

"I guess so," Finn said with a shrug. They were all dressed in black clothes that made them almost invisible in the dark night.

Valmont nodded. "Good. This is how it goes. Bronson's mansion is in that direction," he said pointing north where they could barely see the outlines of a building against the sky. There was no light in any window.

"Is it empty? Surely nobody is asleep this early," Ratso said.

"I doubt he ever closes his eyes. Evil never sleeps," Chow pointed out.

"Enough with chit chat! We have more urgent things to do," Valmont said impatiently. He rubbed his temples. "We'll be going that way, climbing over the wall using these ropes and then you'll go and get everything you can carry."

"And you?" Finn asked.

Valmont didn't even blink as he faced the suspicious glares of his men. "Why are you looking me like that? Don't you think I'll do my share?" he asked and tried to sound hurt. "I have a mission as well!"

His men merely glanced at each other knowingly. Valmont let it be. They wouldn't take him seriously in any case. "Alright, let's get to it," he announced and led his group to its way with a sharp gesture of his hand.

Their small party wasn't quite as silent as Valmont had been hoping but he wasn't entirely innocent of it either. Every time it started to look good someone stepped on a dry twig, sent a few loose stones rolling or stumbled. He grimaced every time Finn let out a muffled curse and he tried to keep his ruined Italian shoes from squeaking.

Hak Foo was the only one able to move in silence. He was a like a cat compared to the rest of them and Valmont was half expecting him to turn around and scold the remaining four. Then again, he reasoned, not everything was entirely their fault. It looked like all twigs, rocks and holes in the ground had gathered on their route.

He hated countryside. Well, they weren't exactly in wilderness, but still. He would have never built a mansion anywhere where more than two trees stood together. Not that he would have built a mansion either. He had got quite enough of them as a child.

After some time they arrived to the high wall that surrounded Bronson's mansion. Not even Hak Foo would be able to climb over it easily.

Everything was a routine to them and they didn't feel the need to exchange words. Finn threw a hook attached to his rope over the wall, and one by one they climbed to the other side.

"Well," Valmont whispered then. "The main building is over there. You know what to do."

Led by Hak Foo, Finn, Chow and Ratso chose their direction. The Irishman glared suspiciously at Valmont as he went. He was probably assuming that Valmont would keep his position and watch how everyone else did the hard work. It wasn't that Finn was wrong to think that; it was the way Valmont liked to handle things.

This time just happened to be an exception.

He took another direction after his men were gone. He pressed himself against the wall and remained hidden in the shadow it provided. Valmont looked around in the dark garden and then headed right. He was carrying a bag that contained everything he needed.

Even in the dark he could see that the garden surrounding Bronson's mansion wasn't huge and that it mostly consisted of a tidy lawn and low decorative bushes. The mansion itself was in the middle of the green glory and a small road led to it. A fine distance to the right of the building stood a garage. That was exactly what Valmont was heading to.

He tried to stay in shadows, but every now and then he was forced to take the risk of entering open view. He wasn't particularly afraid of anyone seeing him -- there had been no sight of guards yet -- but one could never be careful enough.

Once he reached his destination he put his bag down and started examining the door. It was locked of course, but Valmont didn't think it was going to stand the treatment he had in mind. It didn't look like it had been wired with alarms. He guessed they had saved those for the mansion itself.

He briefly wondered how his men were doing. He hadn't heard any noise yet, so he guessed they were still alright. The one thing he hoped was that if something went wrong, nobody would get caught. It would be a pity if the officials found out about The Dark Hand being back already.

Let's see what the lock thinks of this, he thought as he took a hammer from his bag. It was heavy and he drew one deep breath before hitting the lock for all he was worth. There was a loud clang and Valmont froze. With his heart beating a little faster than usual, he listened if someone had heard him. Nothing happened and everything was quiet. He sighed and hit again and again.

Finally he heard a satisfying click and the lock broke. He grinned to himself and put the hammer down. Everything had gone according to his plan this far. He opened the sliding door to the garage and was delighted to see that whoever was in charge of oiling it, was good at his job.

It was dark in the garage and Valmont didn't dare switch on the light. He was welcomed by a dusty and oily scent. The lack of light forced him to proceed slowly, but he still found what he was looking for fairly quickly. It would have been impossible to miss it, for it took most of the space in the garage.

Valmont smiled to himself. A fine, red Porsche in perfect shape.

* * *

"Who wants to bet that Valmont is still standing there while we do all the work again?" Chow asked as they climbed inside through one of the windows downstairs. Nobody replied him for a moment; they were holding their breaths and seeing whether the alarms would be sent off.

Nothing happened and they dared to relax.

"Hey, you can put my money on that any time. Big V never does the dirty work himself," Finn said and he eyed the dark room in front of them. It was impossible to see what it was like and what secrets it held. If their luck was anything like usual, they had broken straight into someone's bedroom.

There was a loud crash as something fell on the floor. Finn cursed in his mind.

"Looks like we're in the kitchen," Ratso's voice said. "I just knocked over a bottle of ketchup."

"Great, how about making a little more noise in case somebody didn't hear us yet?" Chow asked.

"If there is anyone in here. The place seems strangely deserted, if you ask me," Finn said.

"You stay here and chat. I have work to do," Hak Foo announced in determination. The warrior could see in the dark better than the rest of them combined and he had no trouble getting to the door on the opposite wall. He took one of the tool bags with him.

"Hey Hak, wait up," Ratso said and hurried after the warrior. Finn and Chow followed the example. All four arrived to a corridor that led to two directions.

"I go right, you go left," Hak Foo decided for them before anyone could make a suggestion. He then left the others on their own.

"So, here we are," Finn said. Now that they didn't have Hak Foo they decided to light one of the flashlights in order to see what was worth stealing.

The corridor was luxurious. The floor, walls and ceiling were built of dark wood that almost radiated age. Everything looked like it had been taken from a centuries old building and used to make a new one. The floor was covered with a long blue carpet, there were colourful paintings and medieval tapestries on the walls and identical drawers dominated the space between them.

Ratso opened one of them. It was empty. "What's the use of having so many drawers when you don't keep anything in them?" he asked and grabbed a porcelain vase that stood on one of the drawers. "What do you think, is this worth anything?"

"Nah, doubt it. These are trinkets. Let's find something expensive," Finn suggested. The three continued on until they arrived to a door. There was nothing strange about it; it was the same colour as the walls and it wasn't locked.

"For someone who owns an insurance company, this guy is pretty careless," Ratso said.

"He's probably bought his own insurances and is just waiting for someone to empty the place," Chow guessed.

"Dude, that makes no sense. He'd have to pay himself," Finn said with a chuckle.

They stepped into the room and Chow gave them a little light with the flashlight. It looked like they had found their way into a library of some sorts. Shelves filled with books stood by the walls, a red carpet lay on the floor and in the middle of the room was a dark table with several heavy volumes resting on it. On the opposite side was a huge window and next to it a naked statue of a man.

"We're running out of time. Better grab something here and get lost before our luck runs out," Finn said.

"Well, what's worth anything in here? These books look like we wouldn't get a cent out of them in a used book store," Chow remarked and browsed through a book on Philosophy and ancient plays that he had never even heard of.

"What about that?" Ratso asked and pointed at the statue. It was a Greek -- or a Roman, they couldn't say -- discus thrower. It was obvious that it wasn't genuine as it wasn't made of marble. It looked more like a cheap clay copy that had been painted to fool the simple minded.

"It looks heavy," Chow said.

"Yeah, but it has class while lacking everything practical. That's the kind of thing Big V likes. Let's get it!" Finn decided for them.

Ratso went to open the window and the trio concentrated on getting the statue out in one piece and in silence.

* * *

Hak Foo didn't face any serious problems before reaching the end of the corridor and climbing upstairs. He was greeted by high double doors and the warrior knew that something worth his interest had to lie behind them.

At that moment many might have liked to ask him why he bothered to stick with Valmont's perhaps pathetic attempt to regain the glory. After all, he was a mighty warrior and potential buyers for his services were numerous. In someone else's service he would have had better chances at getting what he wanted; more power. Apart from loyalty, there were no ties between him and Valmont.

He didn't even consider kicking the door in and rushing into the room with a scream. Now was the time for a more subtle technique. He did something very un-Hak Foo like and placed his hand on the door handle.

The door opened in silence and he found himself starting into a dim room, lit only by a yellow lamp on a night stand. The air in the room smelled faintly of dust and was a little warmer than in the corridor.

Hak Foo knew the room wasn't empty. His sensitive ears picked up the faint sound of steady snoring.

Crouching tiger steps into the bedroom, he thought as he slipped into the room and closed the door so that the colder air wouldn't wake the sleeper. He spent a few seconds taking in his surroundings and started examining the walls. There had to be a safe somewhere.

Several paintings decorated the walls and Hak Foo systematically went through each of them, looking for a hidden safe. When he got to the window he stopped for a moment, thinking that he had just heard strange banging noise and insane laughter outside. He blinked and pushed it out of his mind. It made no sense.

There was nothing important behind the paintings. He was now standing next to a wide bed and saw the sleeping figure better than well. It was a middle-aged, balding and round man. His mouth was hanging open and he seemed to be well asleep. Hak Foo suspected the man was Bronson, but he couldn't be sure.

Deciding that it was time to hurry Hak Foo lifted the carpet on the floor. To his satisfaction he noticed a small trap door under it. He opened it and revealed a small safe.

Unfortunately he wasn't good at opening any sort of locks or safety systems and he didn't have the opportunity to open the safe soundlessly. He considered the situation for a moment and decided to take the entire safe with him. With his strength and the crowbar his bag contained, it wouldn't be too hard to detach it from the floor.

However, first there was something else to take care of. Giving it no other thought, Hak Foo grabbed the small lamp and smashed it to the sleeping Bronson's head. The lamp broke into pieces, but at least the man wouldn't wake up because of the noise Hak Foo was about to cause.

He went straight to work. After labouring for some ten minutes he had managed to destroy enough of the floor to get to the safe and take it with him. He lifted it under his arm and went to look for a way out of the mansion.

* * *

Valmont wiped sweat off his brow and looked at his work with a pleased gleam in his eyes. Only a while ago the piece of scrap metal in front of him had been a beautiful, red Porsche. Now the windows were shattered, tires wrecked and everything else destroyed beyond recognition.

I have wanted to do this for so long, he thought to himself. He felt like writing "I hope you had got this insured!" on the wall, but that would have been a little too obvious.

He put the hammer back to his bag, picked up one piece of metal as a memento and slipped outside. He guessed his men would be returning soon and that they'd meet each other near the wall. It didn't take long before he'd found himself a shadowy spot. He pressed himself against a tree and settled down to wait. It shouldn't take long now.

And it didn't. Even before he saw his men in the dark Valmont could hear their steps and panting. They were carrying something heavy! A grin spread on his face as he imagined the riches that would soon be in his hands.

"You weren't caught! Excellent wor -- what in the God's name is that?" he asked as he noticed his men were dragging around something that didn't look valuable at all. Even in the dark he could see it was a statue of some sort.

Finn, Chow and Ratso put the thing down and wiped their brows.

"We didn't really have the time to look for big treasures, Big V. We thought this would be better than nothing," Finn said.

"But, but it's a statue! What am I going to do with a statue?" Valmont asked.

"That's exactly what I wanted to know when you spent a truck load of money on Shendu in that auction," Chow muttered.

"You can always sell it," Ratso suggested with a shrug.

"It can't be real! You three would never be able to carry a chunk of marble around," Valmont said. And if it wasn't real, it wasn't worth anything. He felt like a headache was coming at any moment and he really wanted to go to sleep.

Then he remembered that he would never be able to sleep again. The little adventure had made him forget his awful nightmare, but now it was back in his thoughts. In fact, thinking about that was almost better than accepting that his men had stolen a worthless piece of junk.

If it at least were a woman, he thought.

"I'm back, master," a voice by their side was heard and they all let out a scared yelp.

"Aah!"

"Hak Foo! I almost died!" Finn said rubbing his chest.

"You really shouldn't creep around like that," Ratso added.

"Please tell me that at least you brought something valuable," Valmont pleaded and the warrior showed him the safe. The Brit nodded and sighed. "I guess this was worth something, then. Let's get back to the city."

"Uh, Big V..." Finn started sounding uncomfortable.

"What?" Valmont asked. God, what now, he thought.

"We were kicked out of our place today for unpaid bills. We kinda need part of our salaries now to sign in to a motel," the Irishman said.

Valmont stared at them for a moment, but gave in. "Fine." In fact, he too could spend the night somewhere else than his pathetic hell hole. "Let's just get out of here."

* * *

They returned to San Francisco and took their loot to the warehouse where the helicopter was. Then they all signed into the first motel they found. It wasn't the cleanest one around, but better than any other place they had slept in for the past few weeks.

"Night, everyone," Finn said as he opened the door to his room. Finally he had his own place! Some privacy at last! Piece! The opportunity to use the toilet whenever he wanted!

"I'm going downstairs to get a magazine. Does anyone else want something?" Ratso asked.

Valmont, who was already half way into his room, stopped. "Bring me coffee. Black," he said. His men glanced at each other.

"Since when do you drink coffee?" Chow asked in suspicion.

"Since when do I have to explain my business to any of you? Get me that coffee!" Valmont snapped and slammed the door to his room shut. The others remained in the hall.

"Something's bothering him," Ratso stated.

"You think so? I think he's just being his normal rude and egoistic self," Finn said.

Ratso made a quick visit downstairs to get everything that was needed. "I don't think he should drink coffee in the middle of the night. It's not healthy," he said and was about to knock on Valmont's door when Chow grabbed his shoulder.

"Hey, put some of these into it," he said and took out a small bottle out of his pocket. He opened it and let a few round pills drop on his palm.

"What are those?" Ratso wanted to know.

"Sleeping pills. After drinking this he'll sleep through tomorrow," Chow replied. He slipped the pills into the hot coffee and stirred it. "And we get a day off."

"Do you think that's wise? I got the impression that Valmont didn't want to sleep..." Ratso pointed out.

Finn snorted. "Don't be stupid. He'll thank us tomorrow." Then he thought of something. "Hey Chow, why are you carrying sleeping pills around?"

* * *

Even before he opened his eyes Valmont knew that he'd regret it. He was having the horrible feeling of something bad happening at any moment. And as usual, he was right.

"Why can't you simply leave me alone?" he asked the water demon who was lying next to him again -- in a human form, thankfully. The demon was wearing a very unhappy expression on her face.

"Do you think I want to come here? Wake up in this pathetic, weak form by a mortal's side? You think I'm enjoying this?" Bai Tsa asked in fury. He voice was thick with poison.

"You seemed to last time," Valmont said and tried to increase the distance between them.

"So did you!"

"I thought you were a human! I would have never done it if I had known that... ugh!" Valmont buried his face into his hands again. This was too horrible to be true! And how had he fallen asleep?

If possible, Bai Tsa's expression grew angrier and crueller. "Nobody speaks to me like that! Nobody has the right not to desire me!" she raged rushing at him. Right before she sunk her claws -- which were quite sharp in her human form as well -- into Valmont's chest, she regained her control.

"Ah, no. I don't want to wake you up like last time," she said with a smirk. "We have so much other things to do."

"What do you think you can achieve? I will agree to nothing with you!"

"I'm losing my patience, mortal. Have you considered that we might gain something from this situation?" the demon asked in a much calmer tone. She backed to her side of the room and brushed a few strands of black hair behind her shoulders.

"There is nothing I want out of this in any way," Valmont said in determination.

"Help me escape the Netherworld and I'll make your every wish come true," Bai Tsa said and smiled sweetly at him.

Valmont only snorted. "Just like Shendu made me rich?" he asked. He couldn't believe the demon thought he'd fall for that. His earlier experiences with the demons had taught him one thing; never get involved with them.

Bai Tsa shrugged. "Shendu is a fool. And so are you if you believed him."

"As you wish," Valmont said. "I still do not plan to get mixed with you." He glanced at the demon from the corner of his eye. What was she up to? Did he even want to know?

He felt frustrated. Now that he had got over the first shock he no longer felt the need to panic and trash around. Still, he would have preferred it anywhere else, as far away from the water demon as possible.

An expression of pure hatred crossed Bai Tsa's face. "Then I guess this is no longer needed!" she hissed and took her true form. The brown skin turned blue and scaly, legs disappeared and hair became tentacles.

The water demon, now much bigger in size than a moment ago, leaned closer and ran her claws on Valmont's face. The man pushed her away angrily.

"I'd be very happy if you kept you dirty hands off me!" he snapped in disgust. The red eyes glaring at him were slit maliciously.

"You will regret that in a moment!" Bai Tsa spat. She pulled her hand back dramatically, ready to strike it through Valmont's chest.

Thankfully Valmont wasn't the kind of person who remained in one place fearing the worst. He rolled over to his side, grabbed an empty vase and threw it at the demon. She caught it and threw it straight back.

It hit Valmont in the forehead and all he managed to hear before everything went black was Bai Tsa's enraged shriek.

**To be continued...**

**AN: **Sorry for the lack of Valmont/Bai Tsa interaction in this chapter. There's going to be a lot more of it in the next one.


	3. Attack of the Demon Monkeys

I don't own Jackie Chan Adventures and I'm making no money with this story. I have nothing to do with Sony and other copyright owners.

This chapter is where this story gets weird. You've been warned. Also, sorry that it took so long to put this up. I made it a little longer to make up for it.

**DEMONIC DREAMS **

**Chapter 3**

Bai Tsa woke up screaming, spitting and feeling the kind of frustration and anger that she would have loved to tear some dozen humans apart.

"I take it didn't go very well, then," Tso Lan stated calmly, resting his arms on his chest.

His sister turned to glare at him. "Well? That cursed, stubborn idiot refuses any co-operation! If I hurt him he wakes up and he knows it. Otherwise he would never speak to me like that!" she snapped.

"How inconvenient," Tso Lan admitted. "If you can't hurt him, there doesn't seem to be any way for you to convince him to do your bidding."

The water demon crossed her arms. Her tail and tentacles twitched in the air. "That's entirely Shendu's fault. If he hadn't been such a selfish fool, Valmont might still trust us," she said.

Tso Lan said nothing to that, though he agreed. "What do you plan to do?" he asked instead.

"I don't know," his sister said, closing her eyes for a minute. "I can't threaten him with violence. I have to come up with something else."

"Use your imagination, dear sister," Tso Lan advised.

Bai Tsa grinned. "Says someone who hardly knows what the word means."

* * *

Valmont woke up when he fell off his bed and hit his knee. He felt sick and he leaned against the frame of his bed, drawing a deep breath and staring at the ceiling. His head felt like it was full of fog and he could barely see one foot ahead of himself.

The little sleep he had got hadn't made him feel any better. Quite the contrary, now his body demanded more rest than ever!

He tried to clear his thoughts, stood up and tried to take a few steps, but his body didn't listen to him. It was as if he had been drugged. Before he even realised it, he had collapsed back on the bed.

* * *

Bai Tsa was relatively surprised when she found herself in Valmont's company again. And in a human form, no less. It disgusted her and she was starting to think she was exactly in the kind of form the Brit liked. If there was something the water demon hated, it was being used to please others.

"You came back," she said as she took her real form. Whatever was behind this mess, she wasn't about to follow the rules. If someone got pleasure, it would be her!

"Unfortunately, yes," Valmont said, turning his head away.

"Couldn't stand being separated from me, right?" the water demon asked and slithered closer, not paying attention to the disgusted expression that crossed Valmont's face.

"I'd rather share this situation with a mangy dog than you," the man said. Bai Tsa merely chuckled, though the man's way of treating her made her boil inside. Who did he think he was?

"What do you think those insults will achieve? I don't care," she hissed.

"I'm hoping you'll leave me alone and disappear. I can't stand you in my sight," Valmont said.

"You are infuriating! I'm not surprised someone decided to curse you," Bai Tsa remarked. The comment drew the man's instant attention and he turned to look at her.

"So, you know what is going on?" he asked excitedly. Bai Tsa realised suddenly that she had a way to make him listen after all.

"Of course," she replied. "I'm a demon. I live for these things. However, considering how you can't stand me and don't want to have anything to do with me, I see no reason to tell you anything." The last words flowed from her mouth in the form of an angry hiss.

"I'm not going to beg, if that's what you're expecting," Valmont said sharply and Bai Tsa cursed in her mind. One amusing past time activity got crossed on her list.

"Keep your mouth shut, mortal! I'm ready to help you counter the curse if you find a way for me to leave the Netherworld," she suggested. She was expecting him to agree at once because she didn't see there any other way for him to find his way out of the mess. After all, he was a mere mortal with no knowledge of magic.

To her surprise, Valmont only smiled at her. "I won't fall for that. Shendu taught me never to trust demons. I will solve this on my own," he said.

Bai Tsa growled to herself, but there was nothing she could do. As much as she hated admitting it, Valmont had the upper hand now. Hurting him would only send them both back to their worlds.

And that was exactly what she didn't want. Valmont was one of the most annoying mortals she had ever met, but spending time with him was more enjoyable than the Netherworld.

She sighed in her fury and took a better position on the floor. Her claws dug into the ground as she imagined how she'd torture the man once she was free. Whenever that time came.

"How about we find out what lies outside this hut?" she suggested.

"Brilliant idea. I wouldn't have liked to share this space with you any longer in any case," Valmont replied. He climbed to his knees and crawled out. A surprise was waiting for him there.

The sun was shining on him on the clear sky and a landscape of grass and small bushes spread around him. In the distance he could see some animals that looked suspiciously like zebras.

"We're in Africa?" he asked in confusion. The mess was making less sense with every passing moment!

Bai Tsa wasn't equally surprised. She remembered what Tso Lan had told her. Somewhere over there was a mission for them. Completing it would set them both free. However, Valmont didn't have to know that. Africa had never been one of the water demon's favourite places, but it was better than the alternative.

Perhaps it might have been interesting to see how the mortal survived in these conditions, but Bai Tsa was more eager to see where exactly they were. If she had understood it right, it was some sort of dream world. It had to be filled with mysteries to satisfy her curious mind.

And so, without saying a word, she slithered away with the hope of finding a river somewhere.

* * *

Valmont was confused. Here he was, in the middle of Africa with a demon he both hated and feared. It made no sense. Why would someone want to curse him like that?

"What did you say about --?" he started, but as he turned around, he saw that Bai Tsa was gone. At first he felt more at ease for having finally got rid of the demon. Then he remembered that he had no idea what kind of curse he was dealing with. The water demon might have been able to help him with that.

He had to snort at this stupid idea. If Valmont had been the kind of man who liked to make fun of himself, he would have later told his men how he had, for a moment, expected to receive help from a demon.

Shaking the stupid ideas off his head, he started examining his surroundings. There was only one hut to be seen -- the one in which he and Bai Tsa had been -- and everything else was pure natural landscape.

He crossed his arms in frustration. "And what am I supposed to be doing here? Raising rhinos?" he asked out loud. This was nothing but waste of time! On top of that he was feeling hot and he didn't like sweating.

For a moment he considered going back into the hut, but then he remembered what material such buildings were often built of in Africa. The idea didn't seem very good after that.

He also had to wonder what kind of fruit they had in Africa. Valmont decided to go and see if he could find a rain forest somewhere -- they did have those in Africa, right? -- and something edible. He had nothing better to do, after all.

As he walked, he returned to his thoughts. Fine, he was in Africa. Was it like the real Africa, or would he have to be prepared for nasty surprises? Not that the real place was very safe either. What was he expected to do?

Questions with no answer only angered him, so he forced himself to forget them for a while. He had travelled a small distance now and he could see that the animals he had noticed earlier were indeed zebras. One of them lifted a head when Valmont got closer, but returned to eating then.

Funny. They aren't afraid of me, Valmont thought. Well, zebras weren't dangerous.

Close to him was a high monkey-bread tree. Farther away flowed a river and Valmont decided against of going there, as it was where Bai Tsa most likely was. Instead he realised that if he climbed on the tree, he'd have a better view around. Then he could decide what direction was the best.

That turned out to be easier said than done. There were no lower branches on the tree; the bark was thick and difficult to get a hold on. When Valmont finally managed to climb higher, his fingertips were sore and his mood dark.

I hate this continent, he thought. It also looked like his battle with the tree had been of no use. The view was identical in every direction. Nothing but savannah everywhere.

"Tsk, tsk!"

Only now did Valmont realise that he was not alone in the tree. A few branches above him stood a small grey monkey. When he had last seen a monkey, he had been dragged to a most uncomfortable space journey, so he wasn't very happy to see it.

"Don't worry, I'll get off your tree right away," he said to the monkey. At least this one wasn't giving him a stupid grin. It only glared at him with huge, spooky eyes and didn't move. Valmont had to admit it looked a little creepy.

Then, without any kind of warning, the monkey's eyes grew wide as saucers, its fur rose thicker and it opened its mouth to reveal a line of long, sharp teeth. The creature let out a shrill shriek and Valmont was so surprised that he fell off the tree.

All air was smashed out of his lungs and for a few seconds he could do nothing but lie on his back on the ground. The sky was going in circles in front of his eyes. When he dragged himself up, he noticed that the monkey had jumped down and was still glaring at him.

"Calm down. I won't touch your tree again. See, I'm walking away from it as we speak," Valmont said as he rubbed his neck. Falling was painful business.

The monkey didn't seem to believe him -- or it didn't even understand his words -- because it took a leap closer and looked like it wanted to sink its teeth into Valmont's thigh.

At that point Valmont realised that the healthiest option was probably running.

* * *

Bai Tsa was having fun. She had quickly found her way to the river and was currently enjoying the warm water. She had never been a friend of freshwater and the mud didn't please her, but water was always water.

For a moment the demon dedicated herself to her element. She dove into the water, swam to the bottom and then shot right back up like a dolphin.

However, her joy soon withered a little as she realised she was not alone. She had almost crashed into a huge hippo that had also decided to escape the heat.

"Stupid animal," she muttered, angry for that her entertainment had been ruined. She was about to drive the hippo away with a smash of her tail, but fortunately she realised that it was no ordinary animal.

The hippo was glaring at her with an intelligent look in its eyes. On top of that it was alone, even though Bai Tsa had heard hippos lived in groups.

This is odd. As if it could comprehend something, she thought. Of course, she had no reason to get nervous, but something in the animal got her worried.

Suddenly, she heard nearing steps and whirled around. The sight she was faced with was unbelievable, but Bai Tsa didn't feel like laughing.

Valmont was running right at her, chased by a small grey monkey.

"What are you doing?" she asked in confusion once the man had got a little closer.

"It's not a real monkey! It's a demon!" Valmont panted and ran past her. The monkey followed and for a moment Bai Tsa could only stare after the duo. Then she felt a sharp poke in her back and realised she had entirely forgotten the hippo.

"What?" she asked in irritation and turned around again. Again, she was in for a surprise. The hippo looked much more dangerous than a moment ago. Its eyes were now small slits and it had opened its huge mouth to reveal a set of enormous teeth.

This was starting to get ridiculous. Suppressing an angry growl Bai Tsa drew her tail back and slapped the hippo with full force. It had no effect and the demon blinked in bewilderment. Sure, hippos were heavy animals, but certainly she should have been able to do some damage.

The hippo growled at her. Her water powers would be of no use against the animal, so Bai Tsa decided to perform an act of tactical retreat. She was not running away, merely going to see how the monkey would rip Valmont apart. Yup.

She climbed out of the river, followed by the hippo. It was surprisingly fast for such an animal and Bai Tsa decided to increase her speed just a little.

It didn't take long before she had reached both the monkey and Valmont.

"Why are you running? Shouldn't you be on the same side?" Valmont asked once his panting gave him a chance.

"Those aren't demons! They are something... different," Bai Tsa replied sharply. They had arrived to another monkey-bread tree. Right when they were running -- or slithering in Bai Tsa's case -- past it, a new group of monkeys jumped down. They looked just as pissed off as the first one.

"What? I didn't even climb your tree!" Valmont said and the water demon didn't even try to understand. Instead, she concentrated on that they were now surrounded by the monkeys. The original one was there as well. Fortunately, the hippo was nowhere in sight.

"They're just a small nuisance!" Bai Tsa snapped. "What can they do?" she asked and shot water at the closest one. The animal flew back a few feet, but got up and shook itself. All other monkeys revealed their teeth and started jumping up and down with a horrible shriek.

"I don't think that was very wise," Valmont stated. Just when Bai Tsa was about to tell him to shut up, two monkeys jumped at her tail.

Their teeth were just as sharp as they looked like, and the water demon yelped in pain. In her rage she tore off both animals, not caring that she lost a handful of scales in the process. Valmont was wearing a horribly smug expression on his face. Then he grew serious, apparently realising something.

"Hey, we didn't wake up," he said. "We did that every time I was in pain."

"Clearly it's all up to you. You're the cursed one," Bai Tsa growled as a reply. She also suspected that the pain had to be more severe than a few bites. She kept her eyes on the monkeys that looked like they were about to attack them any minute now.

"Don't remind me," Valmont said, also being on guard.

Then the monkeys were already at them and there were claws, teeth and tails everywhere. Valmont tried to shake them off, but their hold on him was too strong. Bai Tsa wasn't doing much better.

"I'm not waking up! There must be a way to get rid of them!" Valmont said and suddenly they both realised something. For a second they only looked at each other, but then the Brit reacted. "What are you waiting for? They're going to kill us! Do it, do it!"

"With pleasure!" Bai Tsa hissed and sank her claws into Valmont's chest.

* * *

Finn woke up to a horrible scream. Driven by instincts, he jumped out of bed, still half-asleep and wearing only his boxers, and ran out of his room. Hak Foo was already there and Ratso, Chow and some other guests of the motel arrived soon after.

"It's Big V," the Irishman said.

"You know him?" an unknown man asked angrily. Finn just shrugged.

"Well, make sure he shuts up! It's one o'clock in the morning!" someone else snapped.

"Yeah, we'll take care of him," Chow said. That made everyone else return to their rooms, muttering things the Enforcers didn't care to hear.

"Okay, who wants to find out what's going on in there?" Finn asked.

"Not me," Chow said.

"Hey, don't look at me. It could be anything," Ratso added. Finn sighed and turned to look at Hak Foo who frowned, clearly despising the trio. Without a word the warrior broke the lock on Valmont's door and pushed it open. He stepped inside and the rest followed the example.

Valmont was lying on his bed, holding his chest and panting.

"Quite a nightmare, huh?" Finn asked.

"Yeah, you sounded like you were the victim of a slaughter," Chow remarked.

"There were monkeys everywhere," Valmont muttered. Ratso started humming the tune of some computer game, but Finn couldn't remember the title.

Valmont bolted up and only now did he seem to realise he was no longer alone. "What are you doing in my room?" he asked.

"You were screaming so loud that the entire motel probably woke up. It was like you were being tortured or something," Finn explained.

"Well, almost," Valmont said, but before anyone had the time to ask anything, he grabbed an alarm clock that was standing on the night stand. "One o'clock? We came here at three!" he said.

"Eh, you slept through the next day. This is our second day here," Ratso said.

"Second?" Valmont asked. Finn hoped the Brit wouldn't ask how on Earth he had managed to sleep non-stop so long. He didn't want to be the one to explain it.

"You must have been really tired after the Bronson job," Chow suggested.

Valmont glared at them with a frown but didn't say more about the matter. "Fine. But get out now. You in my room in the middle of the night was something I never wanted to experience," he said.

When they had got back in the corridor, Finn turned to the others. "What do you think he meant by the monkeys? Is he going insane?" he asked.

"Nah, those pills always have some side effects," Chow said.

Finn looked at him with interest. "Really? Then what do you have nightmares about?" he asked.

"This and that," the other man replied, looking slightly uncomfortable.

"Come one! You can tell me!"

"No! It's personal."

Finn gave in with a sigh. To be honest, sometimes he was a little worried about Chow. He never told them anything about himself or his life. Not that the rest of them revealed everything, but he knew a lot more about Ratso than his other friend.

Hak Foo, on the other hand... Well, even though he kept his mouth shut, Finn didn't find it such a problem. The warrior just was that way.

He decided that he would have to start keeping a better eye on Chow.

* * *

"I assume that something entertaining happened?"

Tso Lan's voice was the first thing Bai Tsa heard when she woke up. She blinked and sat up. Her muscles were sore and she stretched before replying.

"I practised killing him a little. Pity I didn't get to taste blood," she said with a satisfied smirk on her face. Then she grew serious and frowned. "You didn't warn me about those creatures!"

"What creatures?" the moon demon asked.

"Those animals that almost killed us! They were like possessed," Bai Tsa said.

Tso Lan rubbed his chin with one of his hands and crossed two on his chest.

"Peculiar. There were no animals when I and --" he started, but stopped his pondering at once. He coughed. "Yes, according to what I've read, there shouldn't be any animals. The dream world should be empty, excluding the chosen pair."

Unfortunately, Bai Tsa was not tricked that easily. "When you and who did what? You said you had no experience on this!" she said in suspicion.

Tso Lan coughed again. "You're too young to remember it, but in his great wisdom our father decided to nurture his diplomatic relationships to Africa by arranging a marriage between me and the daughter of an African demon. Her name was Amballa," he said.

This was new to Bai Tsa. Even though her memories of the past had faded, she was sure she had never heard of anyone called that. Not of any African demon, she realised.

"Why don't I know this?" she asked, slitting her eyes.

"Because it's not important. We weren't meant to be, so she ran off with her lover right before the wedding."

I don't think I blame her, Bai Tsa thought, but kept it to herself. "You and Amballa performed the African rite to find out if you were suitable for each other. It means that you loved her, right?" she said instead.

Tso Lan didn't look happy about the direction the conversation had taken. "For a while, yes," he admitted in annoyance. "However, the rite showed us both that we were too different. She was a warrior and a barbarian. Our fathers didn't care, so she did something as stupid as running away with a local leopard spirit."

"And I take it the entire mess was so embarrassing for both families that nobody spoke of it again," the water demon said. This new fact she had found out about Tso Lan fascinated her, but right now she had something else in her mind. "What do I need to know about the rite?"

"Hard to say, considering that you're going through something different. Your little problem is not based on love. I and Amballa simply ended up in Africa in our dreams. The place was almost empty. Our task was to catch an antelope, build a house and spend a night together," Tso Lan said. "The experience is different for everyone and is always meant for the couple to discover something new about themselves. I and Amballa realised that we couldn't perform even such every day necessities together."

Bai Tsa bit her lip in thought. She was certain that she and Valmont weren't in Africa to play home. On top of that the strange creatures were something that, according to Tso Lan, shouldn't have existed.

"How do we find out what we have to do?" she asked then. She still didn't want to finish the mission because it would have meant a permanent return to the Netherworld. However, it wouldn't hurt to know as much as possible about the situation.

"I can't help you with that. You have to find out on your own," her brother said. Bai Tsa didn't like the answer.

The red and orange sky of the Netherworld was a horrible reminder of reality. In dream Africa she had been able to forget the real world for a while and enjoy everything that had been taken from her long ago. Returning to her prison depressed and angered her.

She hoped Valmont would fall asleep soon again. Then she could start pondering just what she was about to do.

* * *

Valmont rubbed his eyes and forced the earlier stupidity out of his mind. Now that he had slept so long, he felt completely himself again. He had no intention of continuing sleeping, so he got up and put his clothes on.

His chest didn't hurt anymore and there was no sign of Bai Tsa's attack. Wounds afflicted in the dream world apparently didn't mean anything in real life. He wasn't about to try and see whether that was also true regarding death, though.

Since he wasn't tired anymore, he didn't feel the kind of panic as earlier. He was certain that if he acted calm and took things slowly, he would get rid of the curse and find a way to restore a normal life.

That's all I can do at this point anyway, he thought. It was useless to fret over this when he had other things to do. If he truly had slept through a day -- and he had no reason to doubt it -- he would have to get back to work at once.

It was night in San Francisco but morning in Europe. Feeling determined, Valmont picked up the room phone and dialled a call to Switzerland.

After a few minutes he got a reply but found himself speaking to a clear-voiced secretary. He had to switch to English at once, since his German was more than just a little rusty. Fortunately, the secretary spoke both languages well.

"Does Mr. Domisch have time now?" Valmont asked.

"He has got a very busy morning, but if you will wait for a few hours, you can call him again. Do you want me to give him your name so that I can mention you?" the secretary asked.

"Valmont. I'm an old friend," Valmont replied. The secretary thanked him and Brit cut off the call.

All he could do now was wait. Valmont leaned back in the uncomfortable chair and realised that he was hungry. It had been over a day since he had last eaten.

He went through his pockets and found a few bucks. It was better than nothing and he wouldn't have been able to order a gourmet meal in the middle of the night anyway. Besides, he wasn't about to start wasting their loot on something like food.

Remembering that Ratso had brought him coffee earlier, he decided to pay a visit downstairs and see if they sold anything.

The motel was eerily quiet again. Valmont found himself growing irritated when he thought about the scene he had caused, so he put his mind to other things. Like what he would say to Domisch when he called the man again.

Friedrich Domisch had been a friend of his for years. They had learnt to know each other when The Dark Hand had been just a small, freshly founded organization. Back then Domisch had been working in his father's company and had done his best to prove he was worth his name. Since he and Valmont had had similar goals in terms of money and business, they had decided to join forces for a while. The result had been a few scams that Valmont was still proud off. They had helped The Dark Hand grow faster than anyone had expected, and Domisch had earned the respect of his father.

They had been in contact after that as well and had they lived closer to each other, they might have become true friends. Even despite the fact that some of Domisch's ideas were too strange for Valmont. For example, he couldn't understand the Swiss' dislike for everyone who wasn't a white European. They had once had a mighty argument when Valmont had come to a party with a Brazilian woman.

There was nobody in the lobby, except a filthy and skinny man behind the counter. He was almost bald and there was an unlit cigarette hanging from his mouth.

Valmont paid no further attention to the man but headed straight for the vending machines. They looked relatively clean. However, his mood darkened as he realised that his options were chocolate bars, candy and sweet pastries. With a defeated sigh he settled for chocolate and a cup of coffee. Pity there was no tea.

After getting back to his room and having his very unhealthy snack, he turned his energy back on planning. He hoped that Domisch was currently in the middle of something that might be of use to The Dark Hand. But if he wasn't, then he and his men would have to commit a few more robberies. Sooner or later he'd have enough money to make others do the dirty work for him. Then it would be only the matter of time before The Dark Hand returned to former glory.

Feeling much better, he glanced at his watch. No reason to call Domisch yet. As if on their own, Valmont's thoughts started going back to an unwanted direction; Bai Tsa and Africa.

What had happened up to this point was unbelievable. Someone had to have done something to him. There was no coherent reason to why he was spending his dreams with the demon. And since this wasn't a coincidence, there had to be an opportunity to do something about it.

He was certain that she knew what was going on. The water demon had already revealed that it was a curse. Considering that she had been just as confused as he had been, he doubted this was work of the demons.

But who else would want to curse him? Valmont frowned as he thought about it, but couldn't come up with a single name. There were no people educated in magic in his past. Shendu had been his first touch with the supernatural. Well, the old Chan was there, but Valmont didn't think this was his style.

He guessed he would just have to wait for the next night and get the answer out of Bai Tsa. If nothing else, she might know what kind of curse they were dealing with. Somehow he would have to convince her that breaking the curse was good for the both of them.

Another look at the watch told him that it was still early to call Domisch, but he was tired of waiting. He grabbed the phone again and dialled the same number.

"Does Mr. Domisch have time now?" he asked, not introducing himself this time. There was a snort from the other end, indicating the secretary's surprised reaction.

"Yes. In fact, he has been expecting your call," she said. "I'll put you through right away."

It took a few moments during which Valmont pondered what he would really say to his old friend. He needed help with The Dark Hand, but he didn't want to ask for it.

"Valmont?" a low voiced asked.

"Yes, it's me," Valmont replied for the lack of a better answer. When he had last heard of Domisch, the man had been busy with organizing the company after his father's death. Soon after that Shendu had come to the picture and they hadn't been in touch since.

"Damn, Valmont, you really know how to be a stubborn prick. Stopping all communication and forcing me to listen to rumours to hear anything about you. Where the heck have you been when one can't even reach you by phone?" Domisch asked with almost flawless English. His tone of voice was more frustrated than angry.

"You wouldn't believe me even if I told you, and right now I don't have enough proof to defeat your scepticism," Valmont said.

"What happened over on that side of the world? I heard The Dark Hand is permanently out of the picture."

Valmont grimaced to himself. It was embarrassing to admit that his business wasn't very good at the moment. Especially since he couldn't reveal the real reason. Domisch was as non-believing as anyone could be and regarded magic, destiny and gods of any sort as idiotic rubbish. He would die of laughter if Valmont blamed his fate on demons.

"We've had a little trouble lately. You do remember Section 13, don't you?" he asked, deciding to blame everything on another enemy. He was certain Black had already been awarded for getting rid of The Dark Hand in any case.

"Of course, but don't tell me they got you into a corner?" Domisch laughed and obviously didn't take Valmont's words seriously.

"Believe whatever you wish to. I didn't call you just to chit chat," Valmont snapped.

"Then why?" the Swiss asked, getting serious again.

"I want to know if you know anything that might be of use to The Dark Hand."

There was a moment of silence. "Things must be pretty damn bad if you sink low enough to ask for help," Domisch said carefully.

"I'm not asking for help. I just want to recall the old times," Valmont said.

"Right. Who do you think you are? Letting everything come down with a crash and contacting me only when there is nothing to be saved? You're too proud for your own good," Domisch stated.

"This is going to be an expensive call soon. Get on with it," he said.

"Well, to be honest, you called in a good time. I'll be travelling to New York to meet a partner of mine next week. I can't say more in phone, but if everything goes as planned, there might be something for you as well. My secretary will send you the address of my hotel. Come there and I'll fill you in," the Swiss said.

"Sounds good," Valmont admitted. He could hardly keep his voice neutral. Finally the chance to get back to business!

"I expected that much. And Valmont? You better have a good explanation for all this by the time I see you. Otherwise I'll be damn angry with you."

Valmont couldn't help grinning to himself. He felt marvellous and it seemed like nobody could have beaten him at that moment. Nobody could stop his climb back to the top. Not Jackie Chan, not Captain Black and not any of those blasted demons.

But there was one thing in his way. Valmont realised that his dream cycle was a mess after he had started having the strange dreams. If he really wanted The Dark Hand to rise, he couldn't stay up the nights and sleep the days. He would have to act like a normal person.

He collapsed back on his bed, still fully dressed. However, no matter how much he tried, he couldn't get any sleep. He was in a far too energetic mood.

* * *

During the hours Valmont spent lying on his bed, he remembered something interesting. Hak Foo had brought a safe along from Bronson's and they hadn't opened it yet. They had taken the loot -- including the worthless statue -- to their warehouse.

"Time for them to get up," he muttered at around six. He got up, straightened his jacket, checked his hair and marched to wake up his men.

First was Hak Foo. The warrior was already awake and that didn't surprise Valmont one bit.

"We'll go and see what you got," the Brit announced and Hak Foo nodded in silence.

Getting Finn, Chow and Ratso up was a little more difficult, but they didn't object either when they heard it was time for sharing the goods.

They arrived to the warehouse. It was close to the harbour but in a place deserted enough for there not to be any extra traffic. Perhaps it was a little too close to the Helms Fish Cannery, but in the end it might be for better. Even if someone suspected they were back in business, it was doubtful that they'd look for them so close to their previous hideout.

This was where they had stored everything they had managed to obtain thus far. They hadn't yet agreed on how to share the profit from the jewellery store, but it was one of the things Valmont wanted to get done on that day.

Next to the jewels stood the statue -- just seeing it brought Valmont in a bad mood -- and the mysterious safe from Bronson. The Brit hoped that it contained something a little more valuable then Bronson's ballpoint pen collection.

"Open it," he told Hak Foo and the warrior went to get some tools from the helicopter. After working on it for some twenty minutes he got the safe open and they could marvel at the content.

Finn was the first to say anything. "That's it?" he asked as he eyed the simple, brown stick resting before them. It was some five inches long and was hanging from an iron chain. It was probably meant to be worn, but Valmont couldn't think of anyone with a fashion sense horrid enough to do so.

He walked to the safe and picked up the stick. It was surprisingly light. "I have the feeling that my already non-existent respect for Bronson is withering," he said.

"Maybe it's rare?" Chow suggested.

"And even if it isn't, we can get a few bucks out of it in a rummage sale," Finn added.

Valmont examined the stick in his hands. There were no engravings, no writing, nothing to indicate what it was supposed to do. It didn't even look like it could be opened, so there couldn't be anything inside it. For a moment he had already hoped there might be a treasure map hidden there.

"So, all we got yesterday was useless junk," he said sharply and threw the stick at Ratso. The man caught it and started his own examination.

"It has to do something," he said with optimism and turned it around in his hands. Valmont only snorted and walked to the jewels to take a look. They at least were worth something. Finn, Chow and Hak Foo followed him.

All in all, they had gathered a decent amount of loot. Sure, it would be divided to five, but it was still better than nothing.

"Everyone will get a share once we've sold these. I doubt the underworld has changed so much that you'd have trouble achieving that," he said. Once they got the money, the real business would start.

Chow lifted a tasteless diamond necklace from the pile. "Hey, Ratso! Take a look at this!"

"What?" his friend said half a second later. Chow took a jump back with a surprised yelp. Even Valmont's heart skipped a beat.

Ratso blinked. "How did I get in here?" he asked. Just a moment ago he had been standing where the others had left him but now he had suddenly appeared in the middle of them. His eyes turned to the stick in his hands. "Whoa."

"What happened? You just... zapped there," Finn said.

Ratso shrugged, as if the answer was very simple. Nobody else had realised it yet, however. "When Chow asked me to come, I was just about to do so when I was already here. It must be because of this," he said and raised the stick. "Let me try again."

And then he was gone. A second later he appeared behind Hak Foo.

"See? I only have to think about the place I want and the stick takes me there," he said.

"Give it to me!" Valmont snapped and snatched the stick to himself. He kept it at his eye level and looked at it in suspicion. He had had bad experiences with magic, but he had also learned that sometimes it was surprisingly useful.

He wrapped his fingers around the stick and pictured the inside of the helicopter in his mind. He managed to blink once and then he was already standing in the place he had chosen. A grin spread on his face.

"Well, well. Bronson had quite a treasure in his pocket." Countless ideas were going through his head. If he so desired, he could break anywhere he wanted, take the valuables and be gone before anyone even realised what had happened. He could escape anyone from anywhere. No doors, locks or walls would hold him.

He stepped out of the helicopter, feeling magnificent. "It's brilliant!" he announced. He put the chain around his neck and slipped the stick under his clothes. "Imagine what we can do with this!"

"Hey, why do you get to keep it?" Ratso asked.

"Yeah. We've been doing all the work in any case. We need it more," Chow said.

"Don't be stupid," Valmont snorted. "You'd only lose or break it. It's much better that I take care of it. Take a few extra jewels if it bothers you so much."

Giving a few gems to his men didn't feel like a sacrifice to him. After all, soon he could get anything he wanted. There mere thought made him shudder.

Excited about his new toy, he tested it a few times around the warehouse. It was easy, but didn't satisfy him. He would have to be able to carry items and perhaps people along if he wanted this skill to be of any use.

"Let's give it a try," he said and caught a few gems. His men watched in interest how he appeared with them on the other end of the warehouse. It wasn't as easy as doing it alone.

Valmont blinked to drive away the slight headache that had taken over him. It was gone soon and he guessed that the stick had its restrictions. Using it would probably grow more difficult as the extra items became more numerous. It hurt his plans a little, but not greatly so. He could take some pain.

"Well," he said then. "We have been standing here long enough. It's time to get some work done. I want you to take everything we have and sell it for the biggest possible price. You know where the market is. You'll then bring the money back here to be shared."

"And what will you be doing?" Finn asked. Valmont frowned. Since when had his men started questioning his every order? Why couldn't things be like in the past when they had obeyed him?

"I will find us new headquarters. We can't remain here forever," he said.

"Right on, Big V," the Irishman said with a sly smile. Either he saw something amusing in the situation, or he just was in a good mood because of the brighter turn of events.

They all left the warehouse at the same time, but to different directions.

Now, where could I find something big and expensive, Valmont thought to himself.

* * *

In the end Valmont did what he had known he would do; called a real estate agent. He knew the man from before -- in fact, it had been nobody else but Roger Roose who had helped him find the previous HQ for The Dark Hand -- and he had been happy to hear from Valmont again.

He must remember how much I paid him last time, Valmont thought as he was sitting in the man's office. Roos had cancelled all other meetings because of him.

"So, Mr. Valmont. What are you looking for this time?" he asked. His desk was devoid of any personal items and sunlight pouring from the window made the polished surface glow.

Roger Roos was a middle-aged man whose light hair showed no signs of getting thinner. He had brown eyes, a mouth that was forever frozen in a judging expression and he was wearing a clean suit, always.

"I was thinking something similar to the last occasion," Valmont said.

"Really? I did hear you moved out. You know, I'm shocked that you didn't come to me after that," Roos said and brushed imaginary dandruff off his shoulder. He made no mention of Section 13's involvement in the event.

"I was made a special offer," Valmont said. He wasn't about to tell the agent about the fish cannery. Roos would laugh him out the building.

"You know I don't like my customers making deals behind my back," Roos said with a frown. Then he smiled. "Oh well, let's forget the past and get into business. How much are you ready to invest? I know, I know, a stupid question. You have no limit, as usual." Roos paused for a minute and glanced at Valmont who only snorted. Roos accepted that as an answer. "Good. I have a list of the best I've got at the moment."

He pulled a thin file out of his drawer and handed it to Valmont. "I recommend number three. It's not far from the center and it offers everything you considered essential last time."

"There also seems to be a place for a helicopter to land on the roof," Valmont pointed out.

"Oh, yes. I don't think you had that last time."

"Good. I'll take it."

"What? Aren't you even taking a look?" Roos asked in surprise.

"I don't have to. I trust that you wouldn't try to deceive me. And if I don't find the estate fitting, I can always cancel the deal, am I correct?" Valmont replied.

"Of course, but..." Roos looked like he was going through something in his mind. "Fine. I'll have a word with the seller and arrange everything. And... my pay is as usual?"

"Naturally."

Roos would have liked to celebrate the deal over a few drinks, but Valmont refused politely. He knew The Dark Hand couldn't possibly afford to pay for the new quarters so he would have to get more money and fast.

To do that he decided to see what his new toy could really do. It was funny, he could feel the stick against his skin only when he thought about it. Otherwise it felt like he wasn't wearing anything around his neck.

Once he was back in the streets, he stepped into the closest grocery store. It would have been idiotic to try robbing a bank when he wasn't certain of the stick's full powers. He still didn't feel comfortable thinking about what had happened the last time when he had been robbing a bank in the middle of the day.

He crept to the farthest corner of the store where there was no one and where the clerk couldn't see him. That was where the cleaning supplies were. He grabbed a bottle of detergent, made sure the stick was touching his skin and closed his eyes. He forced the image of the warehouse into his mind.

For a brief moment he thought it wouldn't work, but suddenly the floor disappeared from beneath him. An enormous wave of nausea hit him and he fell to his knees. Without even realising that he had arrived to his destination, he threw up and rolled over to his side.

God, he was feeling horrible. He swallowed and grimaced at the bitter taste. His head felt like it was about to blow up and he couldn't think clearly.

He only lay there for a long time, hoping that he'd lose consciousness but feeling too sore for that to happen. He couldn't even remember when he had last time felt like that.

When some time had passed, he started feeling better and dared to get to his knees. He regretted it immediately when he almost threw up again. So, it has bigger limits, he thought. He wondered what would have happened if he had leaped -- as he had started to call this strange way of travelling -- even farther away? This is worse than the biggest hangover in the world, he thought.

Well, there was one thing he knew. Next time he tried to use the stick to steal something, he would first find a safe spot as near the target as possible. He didn't want to even think about the pictures papers would print if the police caught him sick and vomiting.

The thought reminded him of that he'd have to clean up before his men came back. Admitting weakness and stupidity -- for what else had his little test been? -- wasn't an appealing idea. Nobody would ever know about this.

And so he forced himself to get up and went to find out if there was anything of use to him around. Eventually he found a bucket and an old broom that had seen better days.

After getting the floor clean he didn't feel that bad anymore. He suspected the affects didn't last very long. Now that he was able to think about something other than a raging headache and nausea, he started pondering the possible uses of the stick.

He would have to get into a bank vault, fill a few sacks with money and then leap out. It would have to be done fast, preferably that night. Roos was a money-hungry and vane fool who would come asking for his pay soon. He also doubted the seller of the estate would wait for his share for very long.

"Tonight," he promised himself and sat down to wait for his men's return. Perhaps they'd bring good news along.

**To be continued...**


	4. Khala

Jackie Chan Adventures doesn't belong to me and I'm most definitely not making any money with this.

I'm incredibly sorry for the slow update. I'm having the biggest writer's block for this story. I also have other reasons, but I doubt you're interested in them. However, this fic will be finished one day, even if it takes me years to do it.

This chapter is a little slow, but things will pick up again once I get the next one posted.

**DEMONIC DREAMS **

**Chapter 4**

"So, how much did you get?" Finn asked Ratso

The other man shrugged. "A few grands," he said.

"Does that include your extra pay yet?" the Irishman asked and made his friend frown.

"You're going to steal from Valmont? It's pretty strange that he's ready to even share equally. I wouldn't try my luck with him," he said.

"Come on!" Finn laughed. "We've been through a lot. We deserve a little extra. Besides, Valmont took the magic rod. It's only justified if we look after ourselves."

"Yeah," Chow added. "He'll never know."

Ratso considered it for a moment and decided to agree with his friends. It wouldn't hurt if he kept a few bucks to himself. Soon enough Valmont would have enough money for a lifetime anyway. After all that they had been through and lost, they deserved more than they got.

Hak Foo shot an expressionless glance at them, and Ratso could sense the warrior's disapproval. Probably some warrior honour thing, he thought but wasn't worried. Hak Foo might not take anything, but he wouldn't reveal them to Valmont either.

They returned to the warehouse and found Valmont there.

"So?" the Brit asked with a lifted brow. The men showed the money to him and it was soon shared. Ratso could sense how much the act annoyed Valmont.

"Finally I can get my own place," Ratso said, slipping his share into his pocket. He liked his friends but didn't want to spend every moment with them. He had his own life and everything couldn't be shared.

"Yeah," Finn agreed.

"Don't go looking for apartments quite yet. We've got work to do tonight," Valmont said.

"Again?" Chow asked, not sounding very pleased.

"Well, what did you expect? We aren't on holiday! We need a lot of money if we want to be able to pay for our new HQ," Valmont said. "I also assume you want to move into better apartments than you could get for that pocket money."

"Fine, fine. Sheesh. You don't have to get so worked up over it," Finn said.

"What will we do this time?" Hak Foo asked for them.

"While you were elsewhere, I ran a little test. It is possible to travel long distances with the help of this magic and tonight we will give it a try. I'm going to empty a bank," Valmont replied.

"Good idea, but shouldn't you know what it's like in the vault before you can zap yourself in there?" Ratso asked.

"But I do. Remember the bank we tried to rob during the wind demon fiasco? If everything goes as I've planned, I'm just going to jump in, fill the sacks with money, jump back into a car that you've got parked nearby, and then we'll drive away. Nobody will notice a thing before morning," Valmont said, voice thick with self-confidence.

Ratso couldn't blame the Brit. It was a good plan.

* * *

And so the five members of The Dark Hand were sitting in a van a few blocks away from the bank that Shendu had made them rob once. Hak Foo was driving, as usual, and everyone else was in the back.

What had happened to him after stealing the bottle of detergent was still fresh in Valmont's mind, but he tried not to think about it. Still, he had taken a bucket with him just in case he started feeling ill again. What worried him more was the chance of something going wrong. What if he set off the alarm? What if there was a guard in the vault? What if he wouldn't be able to leap back with so much money?

He considered if he should let someone else do the dirty work and take the risks. However, he soon abandoned that line of thought. He wanted to do this to show himself and his men that he was capable of field work. Soon he could get back to giving orders behind his desk, but at this point he still had to make sacrifices.

Besides, he didn't like the idea of letting anyone else use his new magic.

"I'm ready," he said and took a deep breath. Closing his eyes, he forced the image of a bank vault into his mind. It wasn't too difficult. He was natural at thinking about money.

When he opened his eyes a few seconds later, he found himself exactly where he was supposed to. His head was pounding as the trip had been rather long and he was carrying a few sacks and a flashlight, but he was sure he could take it.

He turned on the flashlight and looked around. It felt almost spooky to be alone with the money, surrounded by thick iron walls. Forcing himself to get a hold of reality, he started filling the sacks with bills. He had been lucky this far, but he was not about to play with fate by gawking around.

The bills felt wonderful in his hands and he took as many as he could. He didn't even try to count the amount of money, but he guessed it was at least a million. When he could take no more, he grabbed each sack and leaped back into the van.

He couldn't be sure of it, but he felt like the trip took longer this time. For a moment it was as if he was hanging in the middle of nothing. Coldness tickled his skin and his lungs were about to collapse under the pressure. Right when he was starting to panic, the feeling disappeared and he found himself back with his men.

Another but not any more pleasant feeling took over him, and he grabbed the bucket while his men cheered. They grew silent when he started throwing up and barely noticed how Hak Foo started the engine.

"You okay, Big V?" Finn asked.

"What does it look like?" Valmont snapped. Did Finn really even have to ask? He coughed and wiped his mouth. "It has side effects."

"Yeah, I noticed," Chow said, but once glance at the money wiped the sour expression from his face.

* * *

That night they slept in a better hotel than the previous time. It was their last night in a place like that, and the next day would be spent looking for apartments of their own.

However, for Valmont it didn't matter where they spent the night. It would have been the same to him in any case.

* * *

He and Bai Tsa appeared in the same place where they had left last time. They were alone now and the monkeys were nowhere in sight.

"Took you long enough," Bai Tsa snapped with venom in her voice.

"I have other things to do besides sleeping. You know, living and so on," Valmont replied. "Or then again, you don't. How could you when you have nothing but the Netherworld?"

Judging by the way the demon bared her teeth, he had struck a sore spot. With triumph, Valmont realised that he did have a trump card against the demon. She didn't want to go back to Netherworld and the empty, hellish reality it offered. That meant she would have to do as he said.

Had he been dealing with anyone but the water demon, he might have found it within himself to feel a little pity. However, Bai Tsa had only earned his hatred and disgust, so her agony was his satisfaction.

"Don't tempt me, mortal," the demon growled.

"It does sound good, but I have other plans. You must know what is behind the curse. Tell me and maybe we'll find a way to end this," Valmont said. He had no time for childish power games with the demon. That kind of activity was below him.

"What makes you think I want this to end?" Bai Tsa asked.

"This place is dangerous and you know it," he said back.

"I'm not afraid of a few monkeys," Bai Tsa snorted.

"It didn't look like that. Do you even know what happens if they get you? What if I don't wake up in time to prevent your death?" Valmont asked. Bai Tsa turned away with a huff. Valmont didn't think that was a good sign.

"In that case I just have to be careful!" the water demon snapped, making Valmont frown. How could she be that stubborn? Maybe he'd get this solved faster if he tried to find help in the real world, even if that doubled his work load over there.

"As you wish," he said, turned his back, and started walking away.

"Where do you think you're going?" Bai Tsa shouted after him.

"We have nothing else to say to each other, so I don't intend to enjoy your company any longer," Valmont said and grinned at the words coming out his mouth. The little power he had over the demon tasted sweet and he hoped that he'd be able to talk like that to Shendu one day.

"Fine. It's not like I need you," Bai Tsa growled and started slithering to the opposite direction.

They both hoped they wouldn't face the kind of surprises as last time. Still, this worry was not enough to make them stick together.

* * *

Despite the mortal's insult and disrespectful behaviour, Bai Tsa realised she was in a fairly good mood. Valmont had no idea how to counter the curse, so she didn't have to worry. As long as she was in charge, the curse would never be lifted.

A few funny animals don't scare me, she convinced herself as she slithered off to the horizon, towards what seemed to be a group of small bushes. She was careful not to go near the river again.

If I only manage to keep out of trouble, I'll be fine and this might turn into an interesting experience, she continued.

She did her best at keeping away the thought that in the end this dream Africa was no better than the Netherworld. She was still trapped, not able to do what she wanted.

The terrain was not good for her and the scorching sun made her scales dry. Soon enough, she decided to take a human form for practical reasons. It didn't make her feel much better, though.

¨The most important question in her mind was what she'd do now. Africa, especially the dry savannahs, was not her idea of paradise. She would have to find most humid areas, maybe the Nile or the Victoria Falls.

The demon lifted her head. She hoped that Valmont would sleep long enough for her to see where the sun would set. Then it wouldn't be difficult to start heading for the right direction.

The dry grass, lifeless sand under her feet and the immense heat were a horrible reminder of that she was still a prisoner. Now it was simply crueller as she was being shown something that wasn't real and wouldn't last.

There was no sign of the monkeys or other creatures. Bai Tsa wondered where they had disappeared and when they'd come back. She shouldn't have had to worry because of them, but she had already learnt that nothing should be judged based on appearances only. Those monkeys had more to them than she had thought.

She took one glance around to see where Valmont had gone off to. Whether she liked the man or not, he was the only thing that was real in this place. Besides, when he was close she only had to play another round of "torture Valmont until his screams" if she wanted a quick way out. It was a fun way to kill some time.

On the other hand, it would be humiliating to go after him. No, she wouldn't do that. As a demon she could survive on her own long enough for him to crawl to her for help.

So, she searched for shade beside a huge rock and sat down to wait.

* * *

Valmont was enjoying the fact that he obviously had the upper hand in this situation. He was the cursed one, so everything was up to him. Without him Bai Tsa was nothing in this world, and the Brit didn't particularly desire the demon's company or services.

Of course, it would have been much easier if the water demon had simply told him what was going on and how to fix it. In a way he understood her motives for wanting to keep the situation as it was, but he didn't feel any sympathy for her.

She was cruel, selfish and rotten in every aspect and deserved her imprisonment. Just like he deserved to sit in prison for the rest of his life. The difference between them was that Valmont wasn't stupid enough to get caught.

He kept walking, not really knowing where he was going. He went through everything he'd have to do in the real world to find more about the curse. Firstly, it had been placed a few days ago...

Suddenly, he stopped and almost slapped himself. He had been so stupid! The curse had come to effect right after he had angered that black woman in the street. Normally, Valmont wouldn't have remembered something minor like that, but she had ripped off some of his hair and hurt both his head and pride.

He didn't like stereotypes, but at that moment he couldn't come up with anything else. His heart was beating with new inspiration and he tried to remember everything about the woman. She had been old and ordinary in every possible way. Nothing in her indicated her name or where she was living. She had had a southern accent, but that was no use as long as he didn't even know what state she was from.

That still didn't mean he would give up. The next morning he'd start looking for the woman or someone else who could break the curse.

Valmont had been so excited by his thoughts that he hadn't been paying attention to his surroundings. That was why he was so surprised when he noticed that farther away, next to a huge boulder, there was a little fire. Dark smoke was rising to the sky and Valmont stopped to stare at it for a while.

He covered his eyes from the sun. There was nobody by the fire. Someone had to have lit it though, and he stepped closer in curiosity.

Once he got closer to it, he looked at it with a frown. There was nobody else in sight, but that wasn't the only peculiar fact. The flames were licking the wood, yes, but it looked like they were consuming nothing.

Nothing will surprise me anymore, he thought and let the fire be. Instead, he turned his eyes to the boulder that looked strange in the middle of the savannah. It was a few times taller than him and was leaning to its side so that it created a decent shelter.

Valmont went to take a closer look. Despite that the sun wasn't shining on that side, he could clearly see something painted on the boulder. He went to take a burning piece of wood from the fire and used it to give himself some light.

What he saw made him feel quite unreal.

Different shades of brown and red had been used. However, this simple colour scheme didn't make it difficult to understand what the pictures were telling.

A man wearing a red mask on his face was impaling a large snake with a spear, killing it. At the same time another man was falling to the ground in pain and a group consisting of various animals was cheering, as if ready to devour the two victims.

The pictures might not have bothered him that much if he hadn't felt like the snake and falling man looked a little too much like him and Bai Tsa. He was just about to take another look at the pictures, but everything started fading around him.

* * *

Valmont opened his eyes. He had woken up. For the first time during the mess it had happened without pain or trouble. It was also the first time he would have liked to keep dreaming a little longer.

He took a look at the glowing face of an alarm clock. It was an early morning. The time he spent sleeping didn't seem to reflect how long it felt like in the dream world. Last time he had slept over a day, but it hadn't felt that long in Africa.

The sheets under him were white and felt harsh against his skin every time he moved. They had a clean, almost sterile smell, similar to hospitals. This helped Valmont concentrate as he stared at the ceiling and thought about what he had just learned.

It felt stupid to think that the pictures might have anything to do with him and Bai Tsa, but the uncomfortable feeling in his stomach wouldn't leave him alone. The curse had to have a meaning, and it would have been too much of a coincidence that he just happened to be trapped with someone who was also in the pictures.

However silly it sounded, he decided to play along and think that the pictures were about them. What did they mean, then? Impaling Bai Tsa was not a bad idea, but he was worried about what he had looked like. In pain in the ground, almost as if drawing his last breaths. No wounds, nothing to kill him.

Poison, perhaps?

Valmont felt a sudden desire to fall asleep again and return to the mystery. If he ever wanted his life to get back to normal, he'd have to get rid of the curse and demons for good.

The dreams didn't come, though. He lay on the bed until morning and only when the first rays of the sun peeked into the room did he give up. With an irritated sigh, he got up.

He forced himself to calm down. He had enough things to take care of in this world, too. Learning to know the new headquarters of The Dark Hand was one of them. In fact, it was quite a pleasurable task and he was already eager to have everything organized. Finally, for the first time in a while, he'd have a desk again. Sitting behind it, he'd feel more at home than anywhere else.

His men wouldn't be accompanying him. They had made it clear that they would start looking for apartments for themselves. Another thing that made Valmont happy. During these last days, he had grown sick of sleeping under the same roof with his Enforcers.

I need an apartment, too, he thought. Something expensive and fine, perhaps in the highest floor of some skyscraper. These thoughts increased his positive mood and the problems of the dream world faded in the background. This was reality and he had no time for anything else.

* * *

Everything went as he had planned and only a few hours later Valmont found himself in rooms that would soon serve as their new HQ. The rooms were naked with no furniture and a thick layer of dust revealed how long it had been since anyone had last been there. Still, it wasn't difficult for him to imagine the glory that would soon inhabit the place.

He had already decided where he'd place his desk, what kind of chairs he wanted in the lobby -- he realised he needed a trustworthy secretary -- and what kind of carpet he'd buy. It shouldn't be like in the previous HQ. Everything had to be new and tell about their rise from the ashes.

I have to get a new cane, he thought as he tapped the floor. All in all, everything was starting to look very good. In this reality, at least.

He had managed to keep the dreams out of his thoughts when he had had other things to do. Now that the mission was completed, he realised that his thoughts were drifting back to very unwelcome tracks.

Well, at this point he could spare a few minutes and try solving the mystery. Somehow he'd have to contact the woman who had cursed him. He could only hope that she was still in San Francisco.

Where could he start looking for her? All he could think about was Chinatown, but he doubted he could find anyone familiar with African magic in there. He'd have much better luck in Jamaica or the southern states -- thought Valmont felt like even there he wouldn't be able to find genuine practitioners. If they still existed, they'd be hard to locate.

Africa was the most natural option, of course, but right now he didn't have the time to travel there. The meeting he had arranged with Domisch was getting closer and was currently on the top of his things to do list. Earlier that day, he had given his new address to Domisch's secretary and would get a reply soon. If he got a fax in time, though.

He was starting to grow annoyed at how many things he still needed. So much had to be done and he had so little time -- another thing he needed was a hoax company to serve as an image for The Dark Hand, not to mention hiring more men and making sure certain people got paid regularly and kept their mouths shut.

Sometime in the middle of that he also had to keep running around Africa with a demon he couldn't stand. Luck certainly wasn't on his side.

With an angry growl, Valmont decided to get back to work and forget the curse after all. He'd try getting more information out of Bai Tsa and start his own research only after his real life was in order.

* * *

Chow looked around in the apartment he had come to view. It was clean, recently repaired and located in a decent area. It was like from another dimension compared to the hole where he had been living for the past weeks.

The price terrified him a little, but he reminded himself that he could afford it now. The new rise of The Dark Hand had started well and while they were far from what they had once been, the beginning felt promising. Especially when compared to what they had gone through with Shendu.

"I'll take it," he announced and his future landlady seemed a little suspicious. Chow knew that in his black jacket and orange shades he didn't look like a very trustworthy tenant.

"I've got a job and I can pay a few months beforehand," he stated, drawing a stack of bills from his pocket. It was his share of what they had got the previous night.

Seeing the money made the eyes of the slim woman brighten and she seemed to forget all her previous doubts.

"I see," she said and tried to snatch the money. Chow was wise enough not to let go before they had signed the necessary papers and he had received copies of them. He could never be careful enough with these vultures.

"I'm moving in today," he announced. He didn't have any furniture but could put together everything necessary. If Finn and the rest had found what they were looking for, they'd probably spend the rest of the day moving stuff into their new apartments.

If that didn't work out, he could spend one night on the floor. He had slept in more uncomfortable places.

"Works for me," the landlady said. "But remember my rules. No noise after midnight. If you've got a boyfriend, fine with me. Just don't bring him over. Go to his place to do your thing. Girls are welcome."

Chow nodded and muttered something inaudible as a reply. He was positive it wouldn't be difficult to follow these rules. He wasn't really looking for a wild life in the future.

"Fine," the landlady, Mrs. Perkins, said and gave him the keys. She was a little shorter than Chow and skinny like a stick, but there was power behind her strict voice. Her cold blue eyes seemed to follow Chow's every move and drill into his insides. He was starting to feel like he wouldn't make friends with his new landlady.

She left and Chow was alone. He looked around in the empty apartment. Sooner or later he'd have to get things cleaned up, and he decided to start right away. It wasn't his favourite past time activity, but it kept him busy. Lying still with nothing to do was not what he wanted at the moment. He had been doing quite a lot of that lately.

* * *

Later that evening, when the sun was already starting to set, the apartment looked a lot better. They had brought some pieces of furniture along and Chow was almost feeling at home.

"This is looking pretty good. I'm almost jealous," Finn said.

Chow couldn't say why, but the comment made him feel a lot better all of sudden. "Your place wasn't bad either," he replied. For the first time in a very long time he wouldn't be living under the same roof with his friends. He couldn't deny that it felt refreshing.

They both turned to look how Ratso stepped in. "There's some witch guarding the entrance," he said.

"She's my landlord. She's worried about what we're doing up here," Chow said with a shrug.

Finn chuckled. "Suddenly, this doesn't look like such a dreamland after all. Be careful with her. Who knows what kind of monster she is?"

"Yeah," Chow said shortly. "So, has there been any news about Valmont?" he asked.

"Oh yeah, he called me and said he'd tell us when something's up. He said we should ask around and see if anyone from the old gang is still around. We need more men if we want to get back in business," Ratso said.

Finn crossed his hands behind his head. "Sounds like Big V has big plans," he said. "Not that I have anything against it."

They exchanged a few more words before Finn and Ratso left. For a moment Chow felt like his apartment was strangely empty. He pushed thoughts of deserted corners and silent mornings out of his head and decided to get into bed. It had been a while since he had last slept well.

* * *

It was the first night that Valmont spent in his new apartment. Roos had almost died from delight when he had been asked to arrange another deal so soon. He had found Valmont a spacious flat on top of a recently built skyscraper.

The place had all the luxuries that Valmont had learnt to miss during the demon adventure, starting from a spacious hot tub and ending with a large blue bedroom. These earthly pleasures were all he needed to satisfy himself at the moment.

He was resting on the soft bed sheets, eyes closed and feeling happy.

* * *

Bai Tsa flinched. She was back in dream Africa. Everything had happened in the blink of an eyes and it took a few seconds before she understood the situation.

She was exactly where she had been the last time. The demon could almost swear that she was in the exact same position, too. Valmont was nowhere in sight. So, we don't automatically appear next to each other, she thought. It means that they could go on forever without meeting each other again.

She guessed he must have already realised that he couldn't survive without her, and that he would soon come running back to her. Bai Tsa was already entertaining herself with thought of how she'd make him crawl and beg for mercy.

With a deep inhale, she leaned back. The sun was hot above her and she wiped a drop of sweat off her brow. She would have to get close to water if she wanted to take her real form.

I have rotten luck, she thought. Why couldn't the mortal fall under a Roman curse?

A twig snapped in two and Bai Tsa shot up, every muscle tense. The demon was ready to take her true form if something dangerous happened. She was aware that this time she couldn't have an easy escape by slitting Valmont's throat.

"Who's there?" she asked.

Everything was quiet for a moment, but then a man stepped forth. Or at least he looked very much like a man. He was tall and lean and his body was very beautiful. His skin was black as coal, not the lovely brown shade of most Africans. A red mask was covering his face, so Bai Tsa couldn't read his expression.

"Who are you?" she asked on guard. The man hadn't given her one reason to relax yet.

"My name is Khala," the man said. He had a voice that was soft and deep.

"Well, what do you want?" Bai Tsa asked. She was starting to feel annoyed with having to be the one to ask questions. This man probably knew everything about this place. The water demon felt disgusted. She wanted to be the one to gloat with answers.

Khala sat down and crossed his legs. He was resting his hands on his knees and staring at Bai Tsa, not moving at all.

"I asked a question!" the demon snapped. "You have no idea who you're dealing with!" When even this got no reaction, she quickly took her real form. It made her feel more confident and she hovered over the sitting man like a cobra ready to strike.

Her tail slashed and Khala flew to the ground in a heap of long limbs. He didn't let out a single sound, only sat back up. He brushed sand off his skin and made a clicking sound with his tongue.

"It has been a while since I last saw a demon," he said. "What is your name?"

"What is it to you?" Bai Tsa asked, already feeling her anger fade. This man wasn't afraid of her, so he couldn't be just anyone. With a start she realised that he might know the way to real freedom.

"I usually want to know the name of my victim beforehand," Khala said. He made no attempt to move, but something in his calm voice convinced Bai Tsa that she should keep her guard up.

The demon hissed with malice and slit her eyes. "Who do you think you are? I am a demon sorceress! You can't do anything to me!" she snapped, almost daring Khala to try. It would be amusing to shatter the man's spine and see how long it would take for him to die.

Khala shrugged. Bai Tsa was starting to feel really annoyed at that she couldn't see his face.

"I'm in no hurry. It has been a while since I got a sacrifice. I can wait," the man replied, almost as if guessing Bai Tsa's thoughts.

"You fool," the demon growled. She drew her powerful tail back, hit and again Khala was struck to the ground. This time the water demon didn't wait for him to get up but charged at him at once. She caught his neck and lifted him roughly to the air.

"How does it feel like?" she asked with a grin. She ran her claws lightly over his black chest.

"Interesting," was Khala's reply. The man's voice hadn't changed one bit and Bai Tsa realised that he had been using the same tone for every line. Suddenly, before she even had the time to react, Khala kicked her into the stomach and made her lose her hold on him.

Khala fell to his feet and watched how Bai Tsa collected herself from the ground. The demon forced herself not to rub the sore spot. That man knew how to kick!

"You surprised me, but it won't happen again!" she snapped and attacked him again. She almost got to sink her claws into him, but he kicked her again, harder this time. There was a snap when a rib was broken, but Bai Tsa hardly paid attention to it.

* * *

Valmont was looking around and trying to find the demon. Ever since he had fallen asleep, he had wanted to talk to her. As much as he disliked the thought, they would have to discuss the image he had found.

Supposing that he remembered which direction Bai Tsa had taken, he continued on. Unless the demon had run off on purpose, it shouldn't be difficult to find her in the open. Valmont suppressed the desire to call out for her.

After wandering around for a while, he finally saw her. She was far away and clearly in her real form. On top of that, she wasn't alone. Because of the distance, Valmont couldn't see who was accompanying the demon but he had a good idea.

I hope they won't see me, he thought as he slowed down. Thankfully, the duo seemed to be concentrating entirely on each other.

"What are you?" the Brit heard Bai Tsa ask. The man was sitting on the ground and didn't show any interest in answering the question. He reminded Valmont of the figure he had seen in the image, though he wasn't carrying a spear.

"What is it with you?" Bai Tsa asked. Valmont noted that she was holding her side, as if she had been injured in a fight. Her tentacles were swirling wildly in the air, almost getting tangled with each other. He was also sure that he could almost hear something other than anger in her voice, but he couldn't determine what it was.

Suddenly, the man on the ground turned to look straight at him. "How long are you going to keep hiding?" he asked.

Valmont cursed in his mind and stood up.

"How long have you been there?" Bai Tsa inquired. Her crossed arms and slit eyes revealed how annoyed she was for not having noticed him at all.

Before Valmont had the time to reply, Khala had stood up and walked to him.

"Fascinating," he said. "I can't even remember when I last saw a mortal here. And I doubt I've ever seen anyone with such horribly pale skin. Are you ill?"

Valmont ignored that. "If I were you, I'd get away from him," he said to Bai Tsa.

"So, you understand," Khala remarked.

Bai Tsa snorted. "Don't you start, too. What could he do to me?" she asked.

"Anything!" Valmont snapped. He was starting to get enough of the demon's habit of underestimating everything and acting like nothing could harm her. She had been wise enough to escape the Chans when fighting would have been of no use, but apparently that had been only a case of temporary intelligence. Now she was being just as stubborn as Tchang Zu.

He glanced at Khala. The man wasn't doing anything threatening, but Valmont felt nervous around him. The image in the stone haunted his mind.

"We need to talk," he told the demon.

"About what?" she asked.

"About him," Valmont said and pointed Khala. Except that he was no longer there. The Brit blinked. "Where did he go?"

Bai Tsa lifted her brows and glanced around. Khala had disappeared without a trace. A low growl escaped the demon's throat and she turned to glare at Valmont. "What do you want? Just a moment ago you didn't want to have anything to do with me."

"I still don't, but it looks like I have to. At least long enough for us to clear up some points." Valmont stopped to gather his thoughts. "He will kill you," he said then.

The expression on the demon's face was worth seeing. For a moment all traces of malice disappeared and her jaw hang open for a while before she caught herself again. "What?"

"And that is why I want you to keep out of trouble. You're part of this curse and I don't want you to die before I solve this problem. After that you can get yourself killed in any way you want," Valmont continued coldly. A plan was starting to form in his mind.

"What makes you think he could hurt me?" Bai Tsa laughed. "I am a demon!"

Valmont didn't know if she was being stupid on purpose. In any case, he was starting to have enough. "And he is no mortal either! Why do you think he is here? If what I saw is true, he can barely wait to get his hands on us," he said, instantly getting the demon's attention.

"What did you see?" she asked.

"I'll show you if you answer my questions," Valmont said. He knew he had her now. She would never be able to pass news about herself. "And don't try to lie. I've learnt to know when a demon is telling the truth."

"You pathetic... I should --" Bai Tsa snarled and hunched her back. She looked like she was ready to attack him. The Brit stood straight and made no move. He knew he was in control of the situation. The thought almost made him smile, but he kept himself in control. It wouldn't do to anger the demon too much.

"Well?" he asked.

Bai Tsa drew a deep breath. Her tail and tentacles were twitching and her face was twisted into a mask of hatred and frustration. "Fine," she hissed. "What do you want to know?"

"I already know that this is an African curse but not what it's like. Tell me everything you know."

The water demon pondered it for a while. "I don't know much, but according to Tso Lan, it's a reversed love rite. A couple about to get married performed it in ancient Africa and proved that they were meant to be. In this case someone has cursed you to spend your dreams with the woman you hate the most in the world. This place is also different from the one in the original rite and I have no idea what we're doing here. Tso Lan says that if we complete our mission, we get away," she said.

This sounded really good to Valmont. "What do we have to do?" he asked in a hurry.

"How should I know? Finding out is part of the challenge!" Bai Tsa spat. "Well, something else in your mind?"

"What are the strange animals and that man?" Valmont asked.

"I have no idea. Tso Lan couldn't say anything about the animals, but he might be able to tell me about Khala," Bai Tsa said.

"Then ask him. We have to know everything," Valmont said.

Bai Tsa merely snorted and crossed her arms on her chest. Her bared teeth and quickened breath told Valmont she was about to snap, so he decided to play it safe again.

"Come, I have something to show you."

* * *

Bai Tsa could feel the anger flow in her veins. The situation was pleasing her less and less with every second. Khala's visit had frustrated her bad enough. She wasn't afraid of him and didn't take him seriously, but the fact that she hadn't been able to kill him bothered her.

She was a demon! She should have been able to take care of such a pest! However, every painful breath reminded her of that she was the loser of their short battle. It wouldn't be so the next time they met.

As if this wasn't bad enough, Valmont had turned the tables on her. She hadn't wanted to tell him anything, but at the moment she hated Khala more than the Brit. After all, he had only kicked her once.

"Where are we going?" she asked in impatience.

Valmont glanced at her over his shoulder. "I found something that will interest you," he replied.

After a while, they arrived to a great boulder. In front of it was a fire and Bai Tsa saw Valmont glance at it with a frown.

"Well?" she asked.

"Over here," Valmont said and Bai Tsa walked over to him. She had taken her human form again to be able to stand the scorching sun a little better.

She noticed the reddish images at once. They were harsh and simple, but it was not difficult to recognise the snake figure. What she saw didn't please her one bit.

"What is this?" she asked, slitting her eyes. Khala impaling her?

"To me it looks like this Khala has decided to have our heads, and I doubt either of us would find that pleasing. I don't want to know what this feels like," Valmont said and pointed at the image of him rolling on the ground.

"Me neither," Bai Tsa muttered. Khala's threat about killing her was starting to feel a lot more real and she couldn't help glancing around. The black man was somewhere here, ready to attack her...

She was just about to ask Valmont if he knew anything else, but her surroundings started to fade away. Valmont had woken up again.

**To be continued...**


	5. Business

I don't own Jackie Chan Adventures, and I'm most definitely not making any money by writing this.

Again, sorry for the slow update. This is the last chapter that I'm translating from a Finnish version, so the next chapters should be posted sooner and flow a lot better. I've come to realise that it's a lot easier to get the right feel when you work with only one language.

**DEMONIC DREAMS **

**Chapter 5**

Bai Tsa sank her claws into the stone she had been lying on and smashed it into pieces with her tail. An enraged scream escaped her lips, and she looked like she was ready to kill the first soul to cross her path.

"Something unwelcome happened?" Tso Lan's dry voice greeted her.

"Indeed! That worm woke up again right when he should have remained asleep!" Bai Tsa snapped. She took a deep breath to calm herself down, and eventually only her twitching tentacles and tail told of her bad mood.

"What happened?" the moon demon wanted to know.

"I don't feel like explaining it right now. It gives me a headache," Bai Tsa said and sighed dramatically. "But tell me, brother dearest, do you know anything about anyone called Khala?"

"Khala?" Tso Lan repeated, and his tone revealed Bai Tsa that the name was familiar to him. She straightened her form on the stone and turned to look at her brother.

"What do you know about him?" she asked.

"He is a spirit of the nature. You know, or you should, that there have always been more spirits in Africa than anywhere else. There are countless spirits of stones, water, animals, and weather conditions. Some of them got very well along with us demons," Tso Lan explained. Bai Tsa remembered the Amballa incident, but shook it off.

"Some others, however, got along with no one but themselves. Khala was one of them."

"So, he's the spirit of... what exactly?" the water demon asked. If she found Khala's weakness, it would be a child's play to kill him. No spirit would defeat a demon!

"Hunting."

Not a very appealing answer. Not a surprising one, either.

"And what else do I have to know?" Bai Tsa asked.

"This isn't a game, Bai Tsa. Khala is a dangerous opponent. Why do you think he was imprisoned? He is insane and used to have fun by travelling around Africa, killing demons, spirits, and humans alike. He caused so much chaos that eventually all three groups sent their best warriors after him. He was captured and imprisoned between the worlds in an illusion of Africa, so that he would cause no more trouble," Tso Lan said with a stern frown.

Bai Tsa clicked her tongue. "And we're in that place now, too," she muttered. Suddenly it all made more sense. She no longer doubted whether Khala was being serious about killing her. "How worried should I be about that he wants to impale me?" she asked.

"They needed the combined strength of demons, spirits, and humans to stop him. Draw whatever conclusions you prefer."

All of sudden, Bai Tsa felt like she didn't want Valmont to fall asleep after all. She was in no hurry back to the dream world where she would face one of the most dangerous creatures in the world. It wouldn't do much to accept help from Valmont's direction. In her eyes, the man was weak and the perfect image of nothingness.

"What if he gets me? What happens? All injuries we've received this far have always disappeared," she said. Maybe, if she was really lucky, death was only one way to get out of the dream.

"I can't be sure, of course, but I'd guess that your soul would be forever caught between the worlds," Tso Lan stated calmly.

Bai Tsa stared at her brother for a while. That was all he had to say? Rage and maybe even panic -- though she wouldn't have admitted that to anyone -- grew inside her, and she found it difficult to control her breathing.

"Don't you have any advice? How can I defeat him?" she almost screamed.

Tso Lan didn't even blink. He rubbed his chin in thought. "I would say that you and the mortal simply have to complete the mission that has been chosen for you," he said.

Great. Bai Tsa could have slapped herself. In order to survive, she had to play some silly game with a weak and stupid mortal. It wasn't exactly her idea of having quality time.

"And Bai Tsa," Tso Lan said suddenly. The water demon looked at him expectantly. Maybe he had some useful information after all? "When you go back next time, try to find a way to bring something back, will you? I would be delighted to learn more about this world."

The water demon couldn't remember when she had last time felt such desire to bite off her brother's tongue.

* * *

Valmont was in a surprisingly bright mood when he woke up. He had finally proceeded with his investigation, and he was starting to feel like he might find a counter curse sooner or later. Now that he'd most likely receive the water demon's help, it wouldn't be too difficult.

It was an early morning and his apartment was just as lovely as last evening. He made some tea, ate a little breakfast, and went through the plans for the day in his head.

Firstly, he had to organise his office. A trustworthy secretary wouldn't hurt either. It was also important to see if his old lawyer was still in business.

So, he got straight to work. First he decided to visit the offices of his lawyer. He had never really fired her, but he hadn't had the time, money, or need for her services in the past months. It was possible she had replaced him with another client.

"It's been a while, Mr. Valmont," the familiar secretary said as she let him in. Valmont smiled back at her. It felt good to be respected again for a change.

He stepped into the office. It hadn't changed one bit; everything was just as official and boring as last time. The only colourful spot in the room was a picture of a young woman on the desk. Even that, though, was the exact same picture as before.

A woman was sitting behind the desk. She lifted her brows when Valmont entered.

"Barbara told me you were coming, but I thought she was joking," she said and took off her glasses. "Where have you been? I haven't heard a word since you were thrown to jail with two of your men. How stupid was that? And you didn't even get me to defend you."

Valmont felt like grimacing at the memory. The entire wind demon fiasco had been such a humiliation. "It's a long story. I'll share it sometime," he said.

The woman nodded and put on her glasses again. It was a sign that next they'd be talking about business. Laura Kane had the strange habit of taking off her glasses only when she was handling something on a personal level. Otherwise she couldn't be seen without her dark, angular glasses on her nose.

"So, you need a lawyer, Mr. Valmont?" she asked.

"Not at the moment, no. I'm only making sure I have someone to call if something goes wrong," Valmont said. "In fact, I'm more in the need of a secretary."

Kane put her glasses on the table. "Ashley has been looking for a job for some time," she said and pointed at the picture. It was of a woman whose face was entirely covered in freckles. Valmont had always thought that she looked more like she had some horrible disease.

"Why haven't you hired her?" he asked.

"I can't just throw Barbara out, you see. Nobody hires a woman of her age anymore," Kane said and pushed the arm of her glasses into her mouth.

"Does she have any experience? Can I trust her to be quiet about certain kind of matters?" Valmont asked. He wasn't sure he wanted to hire his lawyer's girlfriend. On the other hand, as long as he was this busy, he might have to.

"None whatsoever, but she's a fast learner. Just have someone show her how a fax machine works. And about the second question, don't worry. Ashley knows where the money I bring home comes from," Kane said.

"Well, as long as she gets the work done, I shouldn't have anything to complain about," Valmont said.

They discussed some more details before Valmont left to take care of other matters. Now that he had found a secretary for a while, everything felt a lot simpler. He could shove all boring and hard work on his new employee and concentrate on what was important.

Like how to break the curse, he thought, and his expression darkened. For a moment he had forgotten about the problem.

At least he had convinced Bai Tsa of the seriousness of the matter. Even though the idea of working together with a demon didn't thrill him, he had to admit it was his only chance. The water demon knew more about magic than he ever could, and knowledge was exactly what they needed at the moment.

He would have to do some research, but not now. Valmont knew he was gambling with his life, but he didn't want to waste his time on anything until The Dark Hand was standing again. After meeting Domisch, he'd probably have more time for magic.

* * *

Ratso was very relieved about getting an apartment of his own. Not that there was anything wrong with Finn and Chow, but he had got tired of living with them. Peace was something he had learnt to appreciate in the last few months.

Now he had enough space for his comic and action figure collections. Gnome Cop and company had been lying in a box long enough and needed some air. Maybe he'd even get a dog. Ratso thought about it. Yup, he'd definitely get one. A puppy. Maybe a retriever.

His apartment was on the first floor of a relatively new block of flats. It was also only a couple of blocks away from the house his mother lived in. The old woman was half senile already, but now that he could afford it, Ratso wanted to live close to her. He hadn't seen her as many times as he would have liked in the past months.

I can't let her in here, though, he thought as he organized his comics in the chronological order. His mother was convinced that he was a born failure who'd never get married or give her grandchildren.

"You should be more like your brother! He has a family and an honest job, you bum!" she always said. Ratso never bothered to remind her that Charlie hadn't sent either of them a Christmas card in almost ten years and wanted nothing to do with them. He guessed mom knew it already.

"Just following in dad's footsteps," he often said. Then a distant expression always appeared on his mother's face and the conversation ended there. Ratso was fine with that. He didn't like people reminding him of his shortcomings, especially since he was actually quite happy with his life.

His place was soon starting to look like home. For the first time in a long while, Ratso felt like he dared to sit down and relax. In fact, he wanted to have a nap, but they had work to do.

Valmont had told them to find new, trustworthy men for The Dark Hand. Ratso hoped they'd be able to find at least a part of the old gang that had been among them before Chan and Shendu. It would be nice to have everyone together again.

* * *

One thing Valmont had to admit. If nothing else, Ashley Taggart was in time. Kane had apparently called her girlfriend the minute he had left, and the redhead was already waiting for him at his office.

"I assume you want this job, then?" he asked as he let her in. He realised he needed a doorman, too.

"Not really, but Laura doesn't want me to lie around at home all day when she's at work," Ashley said with a carefree shrug.

Valmont didn't like the way she didn't look him in the eyes when she spoke. "Since you can't take this seriously, you can walk straight back through that door," he stated coldly.

A surprised expression appeared in Ashley's eyes. "Oh. I didn't say that. I'll do my best, but I may not like it." She glanced around, looking bored, and played with her long, red hair. She didn't look very happy when she noticed that the secretary's corner had no equipment, not to mention a desk.

"Do you expect me to buy my own furniture?"

Suddenly, Valmont remembered why he had never liked this woman. The idea of having to see her face every time he came to work annoyed him. He decided to fire her the minute he found a better candidate.

"In fact, I do. I'm giving you the needed amount of cash so that you can get everything you need. And be fast, I'm expecting an important message," he said a bit too politely in order to irritate her. "When you're done, I want you to furnish this entire place and take care of all practical matters."

Only the slight slitting of her eyes revealed the woman's feelings. Then she shrugged. "Whatever. I haven't been shopping in a while," she said.

"This isn't a game. Remember, you're my employee," Valmont said. That was actually quite a refreshing idea. He could already see himself giving Ashley orders and making her run on idiotic errands... The day was starting to look a lot brighter.

"Sure thing, boss," Ashley said, threw her hair over her shoulder, and took Valmont's money. The man thought and trusted that she knew what she was doing. Once she was gone, he was ready to tackle another task.

* * *

Life was starting to get back on familiar track and that was fine with Hak Foo. Sure, right now he didn't really have the opportunity to improve his skills or learn anything new, but he realised he needed a moment to gather his strength. Whether he wanted to admit it or not, working for Shendu had been hard on him and in its own way, the boring Dark Hand life was the best thing to relax.

Of course, he wouldn't be Valmont's lackey for too long. Sooner or later he'd want a new challenge. Then it would be the time to leave elsewhere to test his limits. Until that, he was happy with what he had.

The darkness around him would have made almost any other man stumble and walk with trembling steps, but Hak Foo was agile like a cat. It was like he could see in the dark as if it was a day.

He stopped and turned to look at the man behind him. Ratso froze when he saw the warrior's eyes on him and, without letting out a sound, pulled out a crowbar from his sack. Hak Foo took it and turned his attention to a wooden box, one of the many identical in the warehouse.

Only the two of them had broken into this small building at the docks. Others remained waiting in the car. Hak Foo had chosen Ratso as his partner on purpose, for he had noticed that the man could be really quiet when he wanted.

Wood was crushed with a hollow noise as he charged at the box. Ratso stood farther away and kept an eye on the dim room, so that Hak Foo could concentrate on his work. It didn't take long before he had broken the lid. The box was filled with pieces of tree bark that flew on the floor when the warrior searched for his target.

After a few seconds, he was holding a black statue. Many would have called it ugly and Hak Foo didn't consider it a beauty either. It had huge eyes, a face frozen in an eternal grimace, and it was holding some sort of spear.

Hak Foo nodded at Ratso. They had got what they had wanted. Only a moment ago, Valmont had given the order to take something from the load of cargo that had just arrived to the museum from Central America. He claimed the statue wasn't worth much, but that he wanted it and he needed to see if his men could do anything on their own.

Suddenly, there was a loud click and the lights were turned on. Both men flinched and tensed, looking around.

"Who's there?" a sharp male voice asked. Hak Foo knew it was useless to hide or escape. The battle couldn't be avoided. He blocked everything else from his mind and prepared himself for the attack, but then their enemy showed himself.

He was tall and lanky; it looked like he was more legs than anything else, and he reminded Hak Foo of grasshoppers. His thick glasses made him look even less dangerous and the warrior let himself relax. He'd probably snap in two if I just touched him, he thought.

The man noticed them now. He froze with a shocked expression on his edgy face. "Who are you? What are you doing here?" he asked.

"None of your business. Back off if you don't want trouble," Hak Foo growled.

His judgement of character didn't fail. The stranger took a few careful steps back and raised his hands for protection. "What are you going to do?" he asked with a shaking voice. "Don't hurt me!"

Hak Foo snorted. What a coward. "Take this," he told Ratso and handed over the statue.

Now the thin man seemed to realise what was going on. "Stop! Don't take it! I- I'm forbidding you!" he said and tried to look threatening. No attention was paid to him, and Hak Foo and Ratso headed out in unison.

Somehow, the man found a spark of surprising courage and tried to go after them. "Please! That statue belongs to the museum!" he tried one last time. He even dared to grab Hak Foo's arm, but the warrior pushed him away roughly.

The man fell against wooden boxes and let out a surprised yelp. Hak Foo noted that pushing him around wasn't an effort at all. He almost found himself hoping that the man wouldn't try anything else. Beating up a weakling like that wasn't worth his time.

Fortunately, it looked like the man had had enough, and he remained lying among the boxes. Hak Foo and Ratso decided not to take any more risks and rushed outside with the statue.

"What took you so long?" Chow asked as they climbed into the car.

"Trouble," Hak Foo said.

"Some nerd just tried to stop us. No problem," Ratso explained when he saw the questioning eyes of his friends.

"You got lucky. It's not going to be this easy every time," Finn pointed out as he was driving. Sadly, it was true. It felt like an eternity since the time when they had been respected and when they hadn't had to worry about such things as getting caught.

* * *

Valmont tapped the floor with his cane. It was all new and shiny. He felt whole again now that he had something he had always considered a sign of power. His personal sceptre.

He glanced at his watch. Usually, he wouldn't even consider going to sleep at this hour, but this time he could hardly wait. He felt like he and Bai Tsa had found a common goal and might be able to tolerate each other until they had reached it. He just had to make her see that as well.

"What is taking so long?" he asked out loud. He had sent his men to retrieve a small statue from the museum's warehouse. There was always the chance that Chan was there, but Valmont didn't consider that possible. They weren't after anything Chinese this time, so the success rate was much higher. The statue itself didn't interest him. It wasn't really worth anything, merely an ancient Central American statue and one of the numerous of its kind. It would make for a good present for Domisch, though. His Swiss friend collected exotic art and would be more willing to include The Dark Hand in his business after a friendly gesture.

Thankfully, he didn't have to wait for much longer. "Enter," he said when there was a knock on his door. Ashley had gone home hours ago and said that she wouldn't work overtime no matter what. Apparently, she had better things to do. Valmont was very interested in seeing how she'd react on the effect such comments were bound to have on her salary.

"Everything was perfect. No problemo," Finn announced as the four stepped in. He put the statue on Valmont's desk.

The Brit lifted a brow. Could it really be that his men had done something right? "Nothing happened?" he pressed on, unable to keep the suspicion away from his voice.

His men glanced at each other, and he knew Finn hadn't told the entire truth. "What?" he sighed. Typical...

"We were seen," Hak Foo said.

"By whom?" Valmont asked.

"Just some nerdy guy. Probably one of the museum staff," Ratso said. "He was no trouble. He quivered like a leaf and could do nothing to stop us."

"You do realise that if he works in the museum, he's Chan's colleague, right? He will find out that we're behind this," Valmont said sharply. Actually, he wasn't worried. He would be taking the statue out of town that same week and since it wasn't valuable, they wouldn't spend much time searching for it.

Chow shrugged. "I doubt it matters," he said.

"You're right, it doesn't," Valmont said. He glanced at the statue and nodded to himself. "Right. Your work for tonight is done. You may leave."

"And the money?" Chow asked.

"We'll be returning to the old system and you'll get paid regularly, not after every job. Don't look so disappointed. It'll be better for you in the long run," Valmont said.

Nobody argued, though Valmont guessed they had to be displeased. The men left quickly and Valmont did the same after a while. It was an old habit that he never left together with his men. In the past, he had always worked overnight and wanted to keep up the same illusion.

Once he got home, he made himself a cup of tea to help him sleep better.

* * *

"Finally. Do you suffer from insomnia?" Bai Tsa asked when Valmont opened his eyes. He frowned and told himself it wouldn't be a good idea to lose it the first minute he saw the demon. No matter how annoying she was being.

"What did Tso Lan say?" he asked. He didn't know the moon demon at all. He had been under Shendu's control the entire time Tso Lan had been free. Valmont didn't even know what he looked like.

Bai Tsa didn't look happy, so Valmont guessed she didn't have good news.

"Khala is the spirit of hunting and was imprisoned here in the ancient times for causing too much trouble," the water demon said.

"Really? In that case, you two already have so much in common. How lovely," Valmont remarked. He knew he shouldn't have, but he couldn't resist. Teasing Bai Tsa was something that gave him an almost unnatural amount of amusement.

To his surprise, she didn't go for his throat. She did look like she would have given anything to be able to do it, though, but somehow she managed to control herself.

"Shut your mouth. We have more important things to worry about," Bai Tsa growled. She had taken her true form again. Valmont couldn't say why she always appeared in a human form first. Part of the mystery, perhaps?

"Well, what kind of opponent is this Khala, then?" he asked.

"A sick killer who is now after us. Tso Lan says that if we die here, we will be trapped between worlds forever. The only way to get out is to complete the mission assigned to us," Bai Tsa replied.

Valmont didn't like what he was hearing. "A magical trap? Sounds like quite a severe punishment," he said.

"What? Do you know who is responsible?" the water demon asked in surprise. Valmont realised that she hadn't expected him to accomplish anything.

He shrugged. "I can't be sure, but I think this woman cursed me for stealing her purse," he replied. Now that he said it out loud, it sounded ridiculous even in his ears.

Bai Tsa obviously agreed. "You can't be serious. Why would someone use such a strong spell because of something like that?" she asked and stopped to think for a moment. "Unless... Maybe she didn't know how strong the magic was. That must be it. So like mortals to play with powers they don't understand."

"Could it be possible to counter the curse if I found that woman again?" Valmont asked.

"Maybe. I don't know African magic very well and neither does Tso Lan. It's worth a try if we want to get out alive," Bai Tsa said.

Valmont couldn't help glancing around. Everything was too quiet. The savannah spread beyond the horizon, the sky was covered in grey clouds, and there was no wind. The big stone and the fire remained unchanged. He shuddered despite himself.

"Do you think he's watching us?" he asked.

"Where could he be?" was the demon's calm response.

"Anywhere! Hiding in the grass! Behind the stone! In a hole in the ground!" Valmont snapped. All of sudden, it dawned to him how dangerous this really was. Somewhere out there was an insane hunter who could barely wait slaughtering them, and they had no idea what to do.

"Even if he was, I don't think he'll try anything yet. He enjoys this and wants us to fear and do something stupid," Bai Tsa said.

It was easy for the demon to be calm, Valmont thought. He would have been too had he had powers. He pushed the thought away and decided not to make a fool of himself in front of her.

"Do you know anything about the mission?" he asked.

Bai Tsa's eyes darkened. "No, and we aren't going to find out anything like this. We have to leave. Follow me, mortal."

"Wait a minute!" Valmont exclaimed, but the demon had already started slithering away. He went after her and tried to draw her attention. "Who made you the leader? There are two of us!"

His complaints had no effect. It was as if Bai Tsa had suddenly turned deaf and blind to him. Valmont could do nothing but follow.

* * *

Bai Tsa believed that she had finally found a way to control Valmont. If she simply gave the man no chance to have part in anything, he would sooner or later learn to be the humble servant she wanted. She wasn't worried that he'd leave her. No, they needed each other and it would have been stupid to be separated again. That was fine with her, as long as she made all the decisions.

To be honest, her ideas weren't any better than his. She believed, however, that if they stayed alive long enough, something would happen. Magic had the habit of working like that.

Good thing the sun wasn't shining. It was ruthless in Africa and she would have had to take a human form then. It would have made her slower and more vulnerable. Not to mention the feeling of dirt and shame.

"Could you at least say something? This isn't going to work if we can't co-operate!"

Valmont's whining was really starting to bug her. "Well, what do you want me to say?" she snapped when she couldn't take it anymore.

The man's eyes flashed angrily. "Anything, as long as you acknowledge me! Despite what we think of each other, couldn't we get something done without an argument? I don't know about you, but I'm not ready to die yet," he said.

"I'll say something when I have something to say!" the demon hissed. She didn't want to admit it, but Valmont was right. Yet, working together with a mortal was something so humiliating that she didn't even dare to think about it. When was the last time someone in her family had sunk that low?

Oh, right, Shendu, she reminded herself. The thought didn't lift her spirits at all.

They walked long in silence. Bai Tsa could sense that Valmont wasn't happy, but the man kept his mouth shut. She hoped he'd keep that up. She had always thought that mortals were tolerable if they didn't speak unless someone asked them something.

Suddenly, she thought of something and stopped. "You know, mortal," she started.

"I have a name," Valmont remarked.

"I know. I'll use it when I see you worthy of it. Before you start another childish tantrum, listen to what I have to say. Right. I'm going to ask Tso Lan for more advice because, unfortunately, it's the only thing I can do. You, on the other hand, will start looking for that woman and anything else that might help. Hire chi wizards, if you have to," Bai Tsa said. She didn't think Valmont was going to argue, so she was really surprised when he did.

"I don't have time for all that! I have a life to re-build and it's going to take most of my efforts for now," he said.

"Is that more important than saving your life?" the demon asked. How stupid could one mortal be?

"Maybe not, but saving my life isn't going to do me any good if it's not the kind of life I want. If the situation here gets too hot, we can always use our exit," Valmont said. Bai Tsa remembered what happened every time the man was in pain. She felt like trying it right away.

"You're pathetic. Besides, it may not work forever. Rules can be changed," she said. "But do as you wish. Just make sure you have news for me next time."

"Right back at you."

They continued the journey again. It felt like they kept walking for hours, but you could never be sure about the flow of time in the dream realm. Whether it was only a few minutes or actually hours, they made some progress. After a long while, Bai Tsa noticed that trees started appearing more often and she thought she could see a forest in the horizon.

"Look," she said to Valmont, but didn't have the time to hear his answer. In one blink she was back in the Netherworld and realised that the man's dream had ended again.

* * *

Valmont glanced at his alarm clock. He had been asleep for over six hours. For a long moment he only lay there. It was hard to believe that he was capable of logical thinking despite that he knew what kind of mess he was involved with. This was even more serious than being possessed by Shendu. At least then he hadn't had to fear for his life. Shendu would have never let him die as long as he was inside him.

So, why wasn't he nervous? He had been almost in panic when this had started. Now that he knew of the danger, he wasn't afraid.

I am in control, he realised. This time he knew what was going on and was free to make his own decision. Of course, Bai Tsa ruined some of that ideal picture, but in a way he was happy for her being there. True, he hated her from the bottom of his heart, but at least he was with someone who knew about these things. Since she needed him, she wouldn't try to get rid of him either.

He decided to get up and do some research on the curse. He had a few good leads to follow. Firstly, Bai Tsa claimed they were dealing with a reversed love rite. If he found the original, he might solve the riddle of the curse. He might also find out something about the dream realm.

So, he got dressed and ate a fast breakfast. The closest library would open its doors soon, and he could send someone to pick up everything about African magic. In fact, he knew just the person for the job.

* * *

"What do you mean I have to go to the library to find material?" Ashley whined. She had just arrived to work, almost fifteen minutes late, and taken her seat behind the secretary's desk.

"I want to learn more about African culture, magic, and voodoo. As my secretary, it's your responsibility to find what I'm looking for," Valmont said.

Ashley shot a desperate glance at him. "Aren't you even going to give me better instructions? Titles or authors or something?" she asked.

"No. The library has a search feature," Valmont said. Maybe he was being mean, but he wasn't going to stand for any kind of rebelling. In his eyes, Ashley was nothing but a spoiled girl who should have grown into a woman a long time ago. He felt old when he thought about it, but it would do her good to learn about real life.

"But --"

"Do you want to be my secretary even after your lunch break?" Of course, he also enjoyed tormenting her. They had been at each other's throats ever since they had first met a year or so ago.

"Fine," Ashley sighed in frustration and got up to get her coat. Only when she had left, Valmont realised that he didn't have anyone to receive Domisch's message now. He guessed he would have to leave the door to his office open and keep an eye on the fax himself.

He walked right into his office and made sure the statue was still there. Then he started on a long list of things he had to do, checked his bank accounts, made some calculations, called a few old friends, and wondered which of his former colleagues might want to work with him again. He also thought about his personal safety.

Valmont wasn't stupid enough to think that he could live in peace forever. Even if other criminals didn't try to wring his neck, Section 13 wouldn't let him run free for long. Sooner or later Black and Chan would be back in the picture and try everything to get him behind bars.

He grimaced to himself as he thought about it. He really didn't want to fight with anyone at the moment. His plans included keeping a low profile for as long as possible. If everything went well, he'd soon create a fake company and get someone responsible and stupid to be the public figure.

A few hours, during which nothing happened, passed. Then a loud noise caught his attention. He jumped to his feet and went t see how a message arrived by the fax. Domisch's secretary had finally sent him the address. Now he only needed to tell Ashley get him a ticket and hotel room in New York.

* * *

Finn was in a relatively good mood. He was free, there were no magical problems in his life at the moment, and most important of all, he had money to spend on himself.

Right now he was walking in a busy street and wondering what he'd do next. He never slept late -- unless he had had especially fun the previous night -- but usually woke up together with the sun. It was a given that his friends weren't up yet, so he'd have to find something to entertain himself with.

At some point he'd have to pay a visit to Valmont and talk about the future. The job at the previous night had been a child's play, and Finn was sure something more serious would show up soon.

"Thanks," he told the man at the newspaper stand and paid for the paper. He folded it under his arm and continued onwards. He decided to read it in the small coffee bar that had used to be his favourite place. All three of them, he had to remind himself.

"Oh, hi, Finn," a familiar waitress greeted him as he stepped inside. "I haven't seen you in a while. Where have you been?"

Even in his wildest dreams, he wouldn't have told her about Shendu and how he had been part of the demons almost taking over the world. To be honest, he found it hard to believe as well. Jane would just think he was crazy, or have a heart attack from the shock.

"I was out of town for a while," he said. In a way it was true. There had been a time when he had been off the planet, too.

"Trouble with family?" Jane asked as Finn took his favourite seat next to the window. Apart from him, there were only two other customers and both were more interested in their food than in him.

"Something like that," he replied. He hadn't thought of a cover story and didn't want to start now. Knowing his luck, one of his friends would tell something that contradicted with it when he wasn't around.

Jane flashed him the kind of understanding smile that only women of her age and experience were capable of. "I hope things get better. Can I get you anything?" she asked.

"Just coffee," Finn said. He took his paper and unfolded it on the table. There was nothing interesting on the front page, but he read it anyway. He was in no hurry and reading about politicians argue over how much money the city could spend on repairing public buildings was amusing in its own way.

Jane brought him the coffee. He took a sip and then almost choked on it when he saw a little news article.

"A Mayan statue stolen," the headlines screamed at him and he blinked. They had done that just last night! How could any reporter have heard of it in time to write a story for today's paper?

He put down his coffee and read the article carefully. It told how a warehouse had been broken into and that the only stolen artefact was a Mayan statue. What interested him more, however, was that the curator's assistant, Terrence Witte, had seen the event.

He has to be the problem Hak Foo and Ratso mentioned, he thought. According to the article, Witte had caught the criminals red-handed, but hadn't been able to stop them. The rest of the article was just the curator's words. He promised that the incident would have no effect on the Central American exhibition that was to be opened soon, and that the statue would be found.

Finn knew Valmont would like to see the article. His friends would find it interesting as well. So, he paid quickly and left, the paper tugged under his arm. He managed to get a taxi and it took only twenty minutes before he was in The Dark Hand HQ.

The first thing he noticed was that Valmont's secretary didn't seem to be happy. She was a woman with more freckles than Finn thought possible. She looked pretty, but reminded him too much of his sister, so he let her be.

"Is Big V here?" he asked, and the woman nodded sharply towards Valmont's office. The door was closed and since the secretary obviously wasn't going to announce him, Finn marched to the door and knocked.

"Enter," Valmont said and Finn obeyed. He expected to find his boss doing some work, so he was very surprised when he saw him in the middle of a pile of thick books.

"The History of Voodoo? Since when have you cared about this stuff? Wasn't Shendu enough?" he asked as he picked up one of the volumes.

Valmont didn't look happy about being disturbed. Finn noted that he had been making notes about the books he was reading. He felt like shaking his head. What had got to Valmont now? He hoped it wasn't infectious.

"What do you want?" the Brit asked.

Finn unfolded the paper and threw it on the desk. "Our little adventure made the headlines quite fast, or what do you think?" he asked. For a moment everything was silent when Valmont read the article. Then he handed the paper back to the Irishman.

"I don't see anything special. Someone from the museum gave the press a hint. This is perfect publicity for an exhibition that nobody would have cared about otherwise," he said.

"I don't know, Big V. It's not that strange, but something about that doesn't sound right. And Witte saw Ratso and Hak Foo. That could be trouble because if Section 13 finds out, they will connect it to us," Finn said.

"Section 13 isn't interested in cases like this. It will be given to the police and forgotten when nobody solves it," Valmont said and sounded angrier and angrier with every word.

Finn realised that Valmont had to have something very special in his mind when he couldn't even remember his own words from the previous night. He wondered if he had a woman. It was the only thing he thought capable of separating a man from reality this well.

"Did you forget that Chan works in the museum? He'll do everything to get the ugly thing back," he said.

This seemed to interest Valmont a little more, but still not in the way Finn had hoped.

"We'll think about that when the time comes. Now, leave me. I'm getting nothing done when you're here bothering me."

However, Finn wasn't ready to leave yet. "What will we do now? Any new jobs?" he asked.

Valmont sighed. "I'm travelling to New York tomorrow. In the mean time, you can do whatever you please," he said.

"You don't need us there?" Finn was surprised at this. Back in the old days, Valmont had always brought them along for safety.

"No. I'm meeting some friends and don't need you."

Finn knew when he wasn't wanted and didn't feel like ruining his morning by looking at Valmont's frown. He left and decided to go and see if Chow had woken up already. If he was lucky, he might be able to lure his friend to get some breakfast with him and Ratso. Then he'd show them the paper.

* * *

As Finn had guessed, his friends thought the news was important. They were even a bit worried.

"What if this guy tells Black what he saw? We can't stay hiding forever," Chow said.

"So what? Section 13 is looking for us anyway. This won't change a thing," Ratso said. Finn always found it surprising to see how well Ratso took serious situations. Especially now that he was on the line.

"Yeah, but I have a feeling they don't care about us right now. This might remind Black that The Dark Hand still exists," Finn said. He couldn't just shrug it off like Ratso. Something was telling him that the simple job at the museum would turn out to be something very different.

"This little thing? I doubt it," Ratso said. They were at his place at the moment and eating doughnuts that, according to Ratso, were made by his mother. He had said she was almost deaf and couldn't remember what year it was, but was still the best cook in the area.

"Let's keep our eyes open and be careful. I don't want in jail now when everything is starting to look good," Chow said.

Finn nodded. "Someone also needs to mention this to Hak Foo. Either of you know where he lives?"

The answer was negative and the Irishman sighed in frustration. Hak Foo had never been interested in socialising with them any more than he had to. It didn't really bother him as the warrior was no fun, but he wasn't happy knowing that someone didn't like him.

"We'll just have to wait until we see him again. And that reminds me. Valmont said he's going to New York. We get to have a few days off," he said.

Chow leaned back in his chair and crossed his hands behind his head. "That's not going to be a vacation. We still haven't recruited anyone. I don't want to be the one to tell that to Valmont, so we had better find someone soon," he said.

It was true and one of the things Finn didn't want to think about. Gathering a group of men who knew what they were doing was more difficult than he had imagined. The men who had used to work for The Dark Hand had found other business and wanted no change. The only people interested in their offer were old farts who couldn't take field work anymore, or young idiots who were a safety hazard to everyone around them. What The Dark Hand needed was a few talented crooks to do the job.

"Well, let's think about that later. Valmont hasn't asked about it, and we can find someone before he comes back," he said.

"Did he say how long he's going to stay?" Chow asked.

"No, but I'd guess a few days at least. We have enough time to organise everything here."

* * *

"Are you sure you can't stay any longer?" the old, hunchbacked Chinese woman asked. She was standing at the doorway and looking at the tall man with a hopeful glint in her intelligent, black eyes.

"Sorry. I am busy," Hak Foo said. "I will bring more money next time." His eyes turned to the younger woman behind the old.

She was small and the oversized clothes she was wearing made her look younger than she really was. Her long black hair was tied to a neat bun. She glanced at Hak Foo with eyes she had inherited from her mother.

"Oh, it's not because of that," the old woman said at once. Hak Foo knew it was true, but his pride wanted otherwise. He didn't like the thought that someone truly cared about him, not after the things he had been doing lately.

He only nodded as an answer, turned around and started walking away. This part of Chinatown wasn't safe even at day, but he didn't have to be worried. Nobody could catch him off guard.

The fact that Valmont could pay him now was a relief. Not for him, but for those he had to take care of. During the demon mess, he hadn't had the time or money to visit the old Liu and her daughter. He never went there if he couldn't bring something along.

He had lied to both women. He was in no hurry. It had just felt impossible to stay with them for another moment. Hak Foo knew what they would have started talking about, and he didn't think any of them were ready for that. The mere idea made him feel nervous and he hated that more than anything else in the world.

He would be happy fighting a hundred warriors at the same time, but in the emotional field he was useless. This time he had no enemy to attack, so he tried his best at avoiding the issue altogether. Pathetic, he knew.

He wondered if Valmont had any work to offer. The warrior knew where the man's Enforcers lived, but he hadn't told them his address. As stupid as it might sound, he wanted to hang onto the little mystique he still had. It made others respect him.

He could have gone to ask if his colleagues knew anything. However, he decided not to, just because he didn't want to ask them any questions. Instead, he started towards The Dark Hand HQ and hoped that something interesting would happen.

**To be continued...**

**AN: **I know this was more like a filler chapter, but it sets the stage for some of the side plots I'm planning to develop in future chapters. Fear not, however. This will not turn into the kind of mess Heing Meh was.


	6. Mystery

I don't own Jackie Chan Adventures and no money is being made.

I hope you like the Enforcers because this chapter is mostly about them. The next one is all Valmont, though.

**DEMONIC DREAMS **

**Chapter 6**

Valmont wasn't very happy with himself. He had browsed through one of the numerous books Ashley had brought but hadn't found anything interesting. He had learnt more than he had ever wanted to know about the history of slavery and the West Indies, but that wouldn't help him much.

On the other hand, understanding history might come in hand later. He had always been able to make use of everything. Next, he opened a book that looked a lot more promising. It was about African tribal religions, and with any luck, he might find a mention of Khala.

However, his thoughts were interrupted when he got yet another visitor. This time it was Hak Foo, and while seeing the man wasn't quite the kind of annoyance as arguing with Finn, Valmont wasn't too pleased. Couldn't anyone let him be alone for a while?

"Yes, what is it?" he asked.

Hak Foo stood straight and strong, not one muscle on his face betraying his feelings. If he had any. Valmont had sometimes found himself pondering whether the experienced warrior was capable of feeling anything that wasn't directly related to combat and victory.

"Is there more work?" the man asked.

Valmont put down the book he was reading. "No, not at the moment. As your colleagues already know, I'm travelling to New York tomorrow. I'll be gone for a week, I think. During that time you're free to engage yourself in whatever you wish, as long as it causes no trouble for the Dark Hand," he said.

"I understand," Hak Foo said with a nod of his head. He didn't sound pleased, but to Valmont's satisfaction, didn't start an argument about the matter. The warrior turned abruptly and left, leaving Valmont alone. He concentrated on reading again and wrote down everything he thought might be important.

The rest of the day was uneventful. He made a few phone calls to former associates, spent most of his time doing research -- something he was already starting to loathe -- and eventually retired to his apartment. The reading had made his eyes hurt and he had a slight headache, so sleeping was a very welcome option for a change.

* * *

Bai Tsa clearly had only one thing in her mind when Valmont saw her. She was in her human form for the moment, had crossed her arms on her chest and glared at him with a frown.

"Well," she demanded, "did you find anything?"

"Not much," Valmont had to admit. When he saw the demon's unhappy expression, he quickly continued, "I only had one day and the library didn't offer the best selection of books. I'll have to visit someone who knows about these matters," he said.

"Well hurry up and do it fast. I'm not looking forward to spending the rest of my existence trapped in a void because some freak managed to defeat me!" Bai Tsa snapped.

"Funny. I thought that's pretty much what you're doing at the moment anyway," Valmont pointed out.

"I haven't hurt anyone yet today. Don't tempt me to get started now," Bai Tsa spat.

Valmont sighed to himself but kept his tongue in control. "You're right," he even admitted. "We have to find out how to get out of here."

"So, what exactly did you find out?"

The Brit shrugged. He guessed the demon would be even less impressed with him once she heard his news. "Well, apart from a very… interesting piece of the history of slavery, nothing important to us. I did learn the basics of the most important Loas in voodoo. Since this is a love ritual turned upside-down, it's possible that someone called Erzulie is somehow involved," he said.

Bai Tsa tapped her chin in thought. "Yes, I think Tso Lan mentioned her. He said the spell you were cursed with has her blessing. Her other name is the Mistress of Love, if I recall correctly," she said.

"That makes her sound almost kind. Could she really have something to do with this? I doubt she'd be too happy with someone using this kind of spell to gain revenge and force two enemies share each other's company," Valmont said. There hadn't been much information on Erzulie in the books, so he couldn't be sure about her personality.

"Perhaps it is another Loa after all. Was there anyone associated with trickery or cruelty?" Bai Tsa asked.

"Countless. It's no use trying to go through all of them," Valmont said. There had been a long list of the most common Loas and he hadn't even bothered reading all the information properly. He had merely glanced at the pages and read through the few first ones.

Bai Tsa growled in frustration. "This is taking us nowhere!" she snapped. Valmont thought he could see her black hair dance in the air, just like her tentacles did when she was angry. He guessed it was only the wind, though.

He looked around their surroundings. They were exactly where they had been last time. There was a forest in the distance. "Shouldn't we be heading to that direction? In the woods we'll be safer," he said.

"There Khala also has a better chance of catching us off guard," Bai Tsa pointed out.

"Now, now, why so negative all of sudden? You can always fight him and win us time."

"You seem to have forgotten that my real form is not really meant for travelling in forests."

"Then follow me and observe how humans do it," Valmont said. He wasn't in the mood to listen to the demon's whining. He knew she would make it just fine, so hearing her moan and complain just because she had to remain in her human form for a little longer annoyed him a great deal.

For some time they walked in silence, Valmont in the lead this time. He was a little surprised that the demon hadn't demanded leadership yet. However, when he briefly glanced to her direction, he noticed that she was hardly paying him any attention. Instead, she kept glancing around. Her muscles were tense and she looked ready to jump into the air because of the slightest distraction.

She really must be afraid of that Khala, he thought. It wasn't a reassuring idea. Even though he knew what kind of mess they were in the middle of, he had somehow childishly believed that Bai Tsa was only exaggerating the threat. He had seen what she was capable of, a little too close in his opinion. It felt strange to think that a demon like her could be so careful about something.

"What do you suspect the mission given to us might be?" he asked. Sure, they had talked about the subject before, but he felt like giving it another try. Anything, even the silliest idea, might turn out to be worth something after all.

"How could I know?" Bai Tsa asked with a shrug.

"Hasn't Tso Lan told you anything?"

The water demon pondered the question for a moment. "Well, he did mention that he knew someone who had been part of the original love ritual. Those two were supposed to hunt and play a little home before they got out," she said. "Of course, I highly doubt it will be that simple in our case."

"I have to agree. It seems that in the love ritual the idea is to test how the two will be able to live together. Perhaps it will be the opposite in our case?" Valmont guessed.

Bai Tsa looked at him in half surprise. "You know, that's not a bad idea. It might work. And don't look that cocky. I would have come up with it sooner or later as well. Consider yourself lucky this time, mortal," she said.

Valmont only snorted to himself. He didn't quite agree about that. He let it be for now, though, because for once they were getting along. If it lasted long enough they just might get something useful done. "So, we would have to prove that we can't live together? That's not much of an obstacle," he said.

"Hmm, true," Bai Tsa said and rubbed her chin. "I'll ask Tso Lan about that later."

They might have continued their conversation a little longer if they hadn't arrived to the edges of the woods just then. The trees were small, varied little in shape and there weren't too many of them; barely enough to call the place a forest. However, Valmont could see that they would get taller and thicker the deeper they'd wander into the depths of the forest.

The grass under and around the little trees was dry and of golden colour. It let out small crunches under their feet. What caught Valmont's attention, though, was the fact that there was a narrow path on the ground. It circled and slithered around the trees like a long snake.

"I think we're supposed to be going to that direction," Bai Tsa pointed out.

"Why do you think so?" Valmont asked.

"Isn't it obvious?" The water demon glanced at him as if he was stupid.

"If there is some kind of demonic instinct that you're using, please share your sources with me. We humans have the habit of thinking logically," he replied dryly.

"Your logic is useless here. Think about it. There is only one path and we're the only ones here. It has been made for us to follow," Bai Tsa said smugly. Without even glancing at Valmont's direction, she strolled past him and started following the path with confident steps. The Brit hesitated for a moment before going after her.

The forest around them was silent save for the dull sound of their steps. No birds, no insects, and definitely no monkeys or antelopes. Considering what had happened when they had last met animals, Valmont was very grateful for that small comfort.

Even the trees seemed dead to him, somehow. Sure, they were green and carried leaves, but he doubted there would ever be any kind of fruit on their branches. It looked like they were only there to create the illusion of something real. A setting for some kind of grand play. Thinking that made him realise who the actors would be, so he promptly killed that track of thoughts.

The path was leading them east. Or so he suspected. One look at the sun told him that it was on the exact same spot as every other time, so he couldn't have got the thought there. It was just a feeling he was having.

"There has been no sign of Khala. I'm getting worried," he said. Bai Tsa didn't reply and after a minute Valmont repeated his statement. "Did you hear what I said?" he asked when there still was no reaction.

"Yes," Bai Tsa finally said.

"And?"

"And what?"

"What do you think?"

"Why do you think I know what he's up to?" The water demon sounded truly irritated. He voice was tight and to Valmont it sounded like she was really trying to control herself. He couldn't understand why she was being mad at him again. He had done nothing!

"Well, you are both blood-thirsty maniacs who think about nothing but killing and slaughtering everything that moves. Just think what you would do in his situation," he remarked.

Bai Tsa stopped and whirled around on her heels. Her eyes were blazing. "You want to know what I would do?" she asked. "I would have attacked my prey already, captured them, and had my way with them. But he hasn't done that, so he's different from me! Stop that self-righteous 'I've known you for only a few days so of course I know everything about you' act!" she snarled.

Valmont wasn't feeling particularly impressed. "Oh, so now it's 'Everyone thinks I'm evil but I'm really just misunderstood'? Please, give some credit. That might work with the Chans, but I'm not like them. Sure, you may not be an exact copy of Khala, you may have experienced hardships and perhaps even suffered a lot. But you know what? I don't care. I'm not even the slightest bit interested in what has happened during your life. All I care about is how I'm going to get out of here and never see you again!" he snapped back.

"Finished?" Bai Tsa asked dryly.

"Yes, thank you. Now, if you'd answer my simple question we might get on with this."

"Well, my answer is, I don't know. He could be planning anything and there is nothing we can do about that right now," the demon said. She turned around again and continued their stroll.

Valmont was just about to remark that it would be easier to see the difference between her and Khala if she'd just let go of the evil demon torturer role for a while, but he never had the time to do that.

* * *

Valmont woke up to the shrill sound of his alarm clock. He groaned to himself, rolled over to his other side and covered his eyes. Then he remembered what he'd have to do that day and all his energy rushed back to him.

Today was the day when he'd finally travel to New York and meet Domisch. He got up and dressed quickly, trying to remember if there was anything he'd have to go through before leaving. He came up with nothing, other than reminding Ashley once more that she could not have a holiday while he was gone.

His plane would be leaving in a few hours so he picked up his bags, locked up his apartment, and went to wait for the taxi he had called. He did give a thought to his dream, but at the moment he was too interested in the trip and hopefully blossoming new business that he found it impossible to concentrate on anything else.

* * *

Unlike Valmont, Finn hadn't slept well that night. He had remained up most of the time, at first staring at the ceiling above his bed, then pacing around his flat and trying to reassure himself that there was nothing to be worried about.

It was futile, though. He simply couldn't get the newspaper article and the events of the museum warehouse out of his mind. Someone had seen Ratso and Hak Foo, and the Irishman wouldn't feel at ease before he was sure he knew what was really going behind the scenes. Had someone been sent to look for his friend and colleague?

He glanced at the newspaper that had started it. It almost felt like it was mocking him and he picked it up, only to read the article again for the tenth time.

"Terrence Witte," he muttered to himself as he read the name aloud. The man who had seen everything. Finn knew that he would have no peace before he found out exactly how much the man knew.

He knew it was strange for him to get so worried about something like this. There had been many cases when they had been seen during work. Sometimes someone had even managed to get pictures or video footage. It was nothing unusual. However, something in this particular occasion troubled him. There was nothing wrong, but the annoying feeling in his gut told him that he'd better look into the matter.

Knowing he was probably going to do something really stupid, he stormed out of his flat and took a taxi to the museum.

He arrived there a half an hour later. Nothing looked out of order. The place was open and the early visitors were there to gawk at the exhibits that couldn't have been more boring. Dust could be seen flying in the air against the light that was pouring in through the windows.

Finn walked to the counter, paid and said, "Excuse me? I'd like to talk to Terrence Witte, please."

The woman behind the counter frowned at him. "Mr. Witte? I think he's in the back working on the Southern American exhibition that's opening soon. I'll have a guard show you the way, sir," she said.

Finn swallowed his nervousness. Even though he hadn't done anything and nobody had a sensible reason to connect him with anything that had happened at the museum, he couldn't feel completely at ease as the guard led him towards the back.

"You must understand, sir. We've had to tighten the safety measures after what happened," the guard said. He seemed like a reasonable fellow. Not at all like those bulky types that practically screamed that they were stupid enough to be unable to do anything but beat others into a pulp.

"Yes, of course. It's no problem," Finn replied. They passed several exhibitions, but thankfully anything Chinese wasn't included. That considerably decreased the chance of running into Chan.

"Alright, here we are," the guard said finally and pointed at a small metal door. Finn said his thanks and knocked. He entered when he heard the call to come in.

The room he found himself in was relatively small and very plain. There was one small window, but most of the light in the room was due to a strong lamp in the ceiling. There was a long table with different kinds of Southern American statues and vases placed on it. Behind the table stood a long, thin man with black hair and strong glasses. He lifted his gaze and blinked in surprise when he didn't recognise the Irishman.

"Oh, hello," he said.

"Morning. Are you Mr. Witte?" Finn asked.

The man stood straighter and put down a statue he had been examining. He corrected the position of his glasses a little. "Yes, I am. And who are you?"

"My name is Red," Finn said, using the first name he could come up with. "I have some questions for you."

The expression on Witte's face became careful. "Questions? About what? If it's the robbery, the police have already --"

"I'm not from the police, Mr. Witte. I'm a private detective hired to investigate this case," Finn interrupted. Hey, he was starting to like this. He felt like a hero from the old black and white film noir movies.

"What? Who hired you?"

"That's confidential, Mr. Witte. How about you just answer my questions nice and smooth? We're on the same side on this, I assure you," Finn said. He could barely stop himself from grinning when he looked at the terrified man.

"If you don't leave this instant, I'm calling the guards!"

"Really? Then you must be quite a brave man. I wouldn't do that. How long do you think it would take before they came? Have you any idea what a man could do to another in that time?"

Witte looked ready to cry. "You wouldn't dare--!"

"Answer my questions and I'll find my way out."

"I... alright."

"Good. What can you tell me about the two men who took the statue?"

"Nothing. I barely saw them at all," Witte said. He had got his voice under his control and didn't sound quite that horrified anymore. His forehead was sweaty though, and Finn had to wonder how such a timid man could even exist.

"This newspaper article states that you saw the crime. How could you not know what they looked like?" Finn asked. There was something that didn't quite sound right.

"No, they're wrong. I didn't see anything. I... I came to the scene after they had already left! The reporters must have got something wrong, I really didn't see it," Witte rambled nervously. He kept playing with the buttons of his white jacket.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes!"

"And what can you tell me about the statue that got stolen?" Finn asked next.

"It was nothing. A simple Mayan artefact. We have more of those, so it's not a great loss. Whoever your employer is, you should tell him that he's wasting his money," was Witte's reply.

Finn didn't know what to make of all this. He knew that Witte had seen Ratso and Hak Foo. Why was the man denying all that now? Could it be that he was trying to trick him? He frowned a little. No, that couldn't be it. Witte was a spineless coward. He wouldn't try anything that would endanger his skin.

The only logical solution he could come up with was that someone had told Witte to keep his mouth shut. Who that could be, Finn had no idea. However, he had a suspicion that the statue they had taken was worth a lot more than they had previously thought.

He thanked the man briefly and then made his way out of the museum. He would have to talk about this with his friends, Hak Foo included.

* * *

Chow sipped his coffee in thought. He had slept well the previous night and couldn't even remember when he had last time felt so refreshed. Of course, his positive state of mind could also have been due to the fact that it was a day off, but somehow he doubted it. His life was finally starting to get back in order.

He was just pondering what he'd do next when there was knocking on his door. Guessing who it had to be, he stood up and walked to open it. Yup, he was right. Finn.

"What are you doing here?" he asked.

"I've got to talk to you," Finn said and looked around. "Hey, where's Ratso?"

"At his own place, I guess," Chow remarked dryly.

Finn blinked once. "Oh, yeah. Heh, I've gotten so used to the three of us being in the same place all the time that I completely forgot. We have to call him and invite him over. And Hak Foo, too," he said.

"We still don't know where he lives," Chow pointed out. "What's going on? You look like something's happened."

Finn ran his fingers through his hair. "I guess something has. We've got to talk about it with the rest."

"Would it have something to do with that newspaper article you're still carrying around?" Chow asked and pointed at the paper under Finn's arm. "You know, Finn --"

"No, wait. I did some research this morning. This could be serious. You've got to listen to me," Finn insisted. The look in his eyes told Chow that something had to be going on, or that at least Finn really believed so. It wasn't every day that he saw his friend this freaked out by something.

"Okay," he admitted in defeat. "We might get Hak Foo's address from Valmont's secretary."

So, that was where they headed after they had gone and fetched Ratso on the way. The third Enforcer was just as enthusiastic about the interruption as Chow, and the man with glasses couldn't blame him.

"I was going to make muffins today, you know," Ratso pointed out in annoyance.

"You'll just have to change your plans now," Finn said as they were taking the elevator to the Dark Hand lobby. When they got there they were met by Ashley. She was sitting behind her desk, polishing her nails.

"Hi. What do you want?" she asked and lifted her eyes from her work for a while. To Chow it looked like she hadn't been doing anything useful the entire morning. He didn't blame her, but hoped for her own sake that Valmont would never find out.

"Do you happen to have Hak Foo's address anywhere in here?" Finn asked.

"It's probably in some of those file cabinets over there," Ashley said. She continued her home-made manicure for some ten seconds before looking up again. "What, you want me to find it for you?"

That woman has never had to work in her life, Chow thought. He could recognise the self-centred, spoiled typed anytime. His first girlfriend had been exactly like that.

"Normally I'd admire your attitude, but we're in a hurry right now. Get the file," Finn said as he leaned against Ashley's desk. The woman wrinkled her nose in annoyance but got up from her seat. She spent a good five minutes going through the file cabinet before she found what she was looking for.

"Here," she said icily and handed the file over to Finn.

The Irishman grinned and winked at her. "Thanks. This is what you get paid for, you know," he said. Ashley only snorted at that and turned her back at them.

The three of them quickly got out, not wanting to spend any more time with the snobbish woman. "I wonder why Valmont hired her in the first place," Ratso pondered.

"Well, I can sort of see a slight resemblance between them," Chow pointed out.

"Guess so, but Valmont's not that bad. That woman needs something to shake her so bad she falls from the throne she has built herself," Finn commented. He was reading the file as they took the elevator down. "Alright, let's get to Hak Foo."

* * *

Hak Foo was not very happy to find the tree Enforcers standing outside his door. At first he wanted to slam the door to their faces, but he managed to control himself. "How did you find me?" he growled.

"Hey, don't look that mad! We wouldn't have looked you up if we didn't think it was important!" Finn explained.

"If _you_ didn't think it was important," Chow corrected.

"What is it?" Hak Foo asked. He was standing in the way so that his unwelcome guests weren't able to come in.

"Why don't you let us in first and we talk?" the Irishman asked. Hak Foo only glared at him and Finn sighed to himself. "Fine. So, remember the man who saw you and Ratso when you took the little statue? I think there's something really fishy about that case and if you'd let us pass, I could tell you all about it."

Hak Foo pondered it for a few minutes. Then he nodded in silence and stepped aside.

His apartment wasn't the biggest possible, but it was fine enough for him. It was the best he could afford after sharing his money with the old Ling woman. The rooms were a little worn out and dark, and he didn't have very much room for any furniture aside from a bed, a table and a few chairs. He considered that quite enough for him, though, so it was not a problem.

He could sense his three comrades weren't very impressed. It was a good thing Hak Foo didn't feel the need to impress anyone on a lower level. "What do you want?" he asked once he closed the door.

"Well, as I said, I think there's something wrong," Finn said.

"You've yet to show any proof aside from your hunch," Chow pointed out. Hak Foo was a little surprised to hear that. He had grown to think of the three Enforcers as one being. It was strange to witness them disagreeing.

Finn shot an annoyed glare at his friend. "I was coming to that," he said. "Anyway, I went to the museum to check out this Witte person." He pointed at the newspaper article. "He claims that he never saw you."

Hak Foo slit his eyes at that. The man was lying. The question was, why? And what good did it do to him? "What else did he say?" he asked.

"He got pretty desperate when I tried to insist that he must have seen something. As if he was really afraid of something. Also, he said the statue you got was worth nothing," Finn replied.

"Heh, I wouldn't want to be Valmont when he gives it to that powerful friend of his," Ratso said.

Hak Foo didn't say anything for a while. He wasn't one to get easily worried, but he -- just like Finn -- could sense that something was wrong with the picture. It felt like they had seen just a part of it and much was still hidden in shadows. If they were lucky, they wouldn't get involved. However, he was not about to just wait and see what happened.

"Witte is the key to this. He knows what is really going on. When he leaves the museum tonight, we'll follow him," he decided.

"Is that really worth it? I mean, what do we have to fear if he says he didn't see you?" Chow asked.

"That is exactly what worries me. Something bigger is going on," Finn remarked. Hak Foo agreed with the Irishman. Even if the three other men decided to slip away, he would get to the bottom of this.

Ratso shrugged. "I guess there is nothing better to do now that Valmont is gone. Maybe we can impress him when he gets back," he said.

So it was decided. They would meet again later in the evening when the museum closed its doors and see if they could get anything more out of Witte. Personally, Hak Foo was sure that the man wouldn't be too difficult to handle. If they ever had to go that far, that is.

* * *

It was already getting dark, and Witte still hadn't come out. Many other employees had left, but the thin man had shown no signs of himself.

"He must be a true workaholic," Ratso remarked. All four of them were sitting in a car Finn had rented somewhere. Hak Foo was driving.

"Could it be that he left before we got here?" Chow asked.

"Nah, I don't think so. He seems like the kind of guy who lives for his work and nothing else. I wouldn't be surprised if he lived in there," Finn said. He was on the front seat next to Hak Foo and kept his eyes glued to the double doors of the museum.

"Anyone else surprised we haven't seen Chan yet?" Ratso asked.

"Count me in. He's usually there every time we're up to something. Maybe he's sick?" Chow said.

"Or out of town on one of his adventures?"

"Shh! Someone's coming," Finn whispered suddenly and everyone shut up. They watched in anticipation as the lanky form of Terrence Witte came down the stairs. He seemed to be in a hurry and kept glancing around feverishly. He almost ran to the street and stopped a taxi.

Hak Foo started the engine and started following their prey. Nobody spoke, and everyone's attention was on the lights of the taxi. They could just catch a glimpse of Witte's black hair in the back window.

They drove on for almost half an hour before the taxi finally stopped and dropped Witte off in front of a little restaurant. The man glanced around and entered the building, hunching his shoulders, as if trying to remain unseen.

"Now we've got a problem," Ratso pointed out as Hak Foo parked the car behind a corner.

Finn nodded. "He's seen most of us, so we can't follow him together." He turned to glance behind at Chow. "You're the only one he doesn't know. You must go," he said.

"I should have guessed it would end up like this," Chow muttered to himself, but got out of the car nevertheless. He slammed the door shut, straightened his jacket and went after Witte into the restaurant.

The place he found himself in was dim. The interior was all reddish brown and the only alternate colour was created by a few green plastic plants that stood between tables. The air smelled of cigarettes and, apart from faint sounds coming from the kitchen, everything was quiet. There were only a handful of customers and it didn't take long before he spotted Witte among them.

The lanky man had chosen to sit in a dark corner. He was currently cleaning his glasses and trying to look as little against an artificial plant as possible. A waiter came to him, but he waved the young man away.

Chow took a table and ordered himself a light drink. There were a few tables between him and Witte, so he was able to keep an eye on him without seeming too suspicious. He was thankful for his glasses which allowed him to stare at the man without him noticing it.

After a few minutes of sipping his drink and watching how Witte did nothing but licked his lips and took off his tie, Chow was starting to get bored. The waiter came back to ask if he wanted to eat anything and he ordered the day's special to get a reason to remain around.

Something has to be going on, he thought to himself. Nobody would be that nervous if everything was in order.

As if reading his thoughts, Witte pulled out a mobile phone. He made a call. "It's me," he whispered to whoever the other person was. "I thought we were going to meet. What? Yes, I understand, but... No, please listen to me! It's not what you think."

Great. Looks like he's just calling his girlfriend, Chow thought in boredom. He was starting to doubt if there was anything strange going on after all. He took a look at his watch. He had now spent twenty minutes spying on a man who wasn't doing anything wrong.

"But someone came to me today! They said they were working for someone. I'm scared, Mr. Ke -- Oh yes, of course not! I'm sorry. But I think this should be looked into. What if someone finds out about the statues?"

Chow blinked at this and almost spilled his drink. He almost turned his head to Witte's direction when the man mentioned the statues, but caught himself at the last second. He downed the last of his drink and concentrated on listening. Unfortunately, Witte said nothing more of interest. He apologized again to his partner, agreed on something, and finished the call. Then he quickly stood up and ran out of the restaurant.

That was when the waiter came with his dish. Not wanting anyone to think twice of him, Chow settled down to eat. He hoped his friends would have the sense to follow Witte instead of waiting for him to show up.

* * *

"There he comes," Ratso observed. They watched how Witte rushed out of the restaurant and stopped another taxi.

"But where's Chow?" Finn asked. There was no sign of their friend yet.

"We have no time to wait for him," Hak Foo said. Everyone knew it was true, so they didn't think twice of the matter as Hak Foo started the second case of taxi following for the evening. This time Witte didn't seem to be in such a hurry, and they had no trouble keeping up with him.

"He must have got his business done," Finn observed. "I hope Chow found out what this is all about."

"Do you think he's okay? We don't know what happened in the restaurant," Ratso said.

The Irishman shrugged. "Chow can take care of himself. Besides, what could happen in a restaurant? And what could someone like Witte do to Chow?" he said.

"I guess you've got a point."

This time it took almost an hour before Witte stepped out of the taxi. They were now in a neighbourhood with tall, ugly apartment houses. They weren't run-down, only new and obviously designed by someone with no understanding of beauty. Witte paid the driver and entered one of the houses.

"I'll follow him," Finn said. Even if Witte saw him, the man would only think that the private detective was after him. Spotting Ratso or Hak Foo would reveal that the Dark Hand was interested in his business. That was something Finn was sure Valmont wouldn't have approved.

He was the master of looking like he was doing absolutely nothing. With his hands stuffed into his pockets and whistling a carefree tune, he entered the house a few minutes after Witte. The man was nowhere in sight, but Finn spotted an old lady sitting on a bench. He walked over to her.

"Good evening, madam," he said politely.

The lady lifted her head to look at him. She didn't seem scared to face a stranger all by herself in the evening. "Good evening," she replied. Her voice was dry and quiet, but Finn didn't let it fool himself. One look in the blue eyes told him that this one was intelligent.

"I was wondering if you could help me. I'm looking for one Terrence Witte," he said.

"Why do you want to find him? Are you a friend?" the lady asked.

Finn could guess she was up to something. He decided to lie as little as possible. "No," he chuckled. "I'm here to talk about business."

The lady gave him a critical eye. "You don't look like a professor," she remarked suspiciously. Her fingers tightened around her cane.

The redhead laughed. "Hah, you got me there. I'm an expert on the culture and society of the 70's," he said. "I've got some plans for a new exhibition that I'd like to go over with Mr. Witte."

"Really? That's nice to hear. The poor man gets so little visitors," the lady said. All tension was gone and she even smiled at him a little. It never stopped to amaze Finn how trustworthy he could seem like if he just wanted.

The woman told him the exact floor and apartment number he needed. He bid her a polite farewell and was smiling even after he had got out of her sight. He climbed to the right floor, walked to the correct door, and knocked.

A minute passed and nothing happened. He knocked again. "Mr. Witte? Remember me? I need to talk to you," he said, using his private detective act again.

The door was opened immediately. Witte stood there, a scared expression in his eyes. "Go away! I don't want to have anything to do with you!" he snapped, clearly desperate to have the unwelcome guest leave.

"Now, now, I just want to talk," Finn said.

"I already told you everything I know! If you don't leave now, I'll call the police!" Witte snapped.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you. I imagine they would like to have a word with you about your business," Finn said. He watched how the remark made Witte finally broke into pieces. The man's face turned sickly pale and the look of horror that crept into his eyes was like straight from a creepy thriller.

"What do you know?" he whispered.

"Enough to realise that what you're doing is not something you might want to see printed on papers," Finn said. He hoped Witte wouldn't start demanding too detailed answers. The unfortunate truth was that he had no idea what was going on.

Witte brushed black hair from his eyes and bit his lip. "Alright, come in," he said then and glanced around to make sure that nobody was seeing their exchange. When he was sure there was no danger, he stepped aside and let Finn enter his apartment.

What the Irishman saw didn't impress him very much. The flat was small and worn out, but Witte obviously did his best to keep places clean. Everything was in order, not even a sheet of paper was lying anywhere. The furniture was a little shabby. If this guy was up to anything illegal, he wasn't making much money out of it.

He sat on a brown arm chair. Witte took a seat on the opposite side of the table that was between them. For a few seconds he stared at them, but then he gathered his courage and lifted his eyes. "So, what do you want? I don't have much money," he said.

"I don't want money," Finn said. "I want to know more about this case. Why did you lie to me about what you saw in the warehouse? I know that you saw the thieves."

"Because he told me to! Do you think I would lie to the police without a good reason?" Witte snapped. Then he flinched, realising that shouting wasn't perhaps the wisest thing to do if he wanted his secret to remain one.

"Who did?" Finn asked. He had no idea who Witte was talking about, but he was certain that learning that one name would shed quite enough light on the matters.

"I can't tell. He would kill me!" Witte said. He closed his eyes and leaned back on his chair. "I shouldn't even be talking to you. He could have someone watching me," he groaned.

"Why don't you go to the police, then? Whoever he is, he sounds like he could spend some time behind the bars," Finn pointed out. Could Witte be talking about a crime lord? There were some he didn't know very well in San Francisco. Or perhaps this mysterious person was a private collector? Witte did work in the museum, after all.

"That's not an option and you know it." Witte had a pause here, then he frowned in suspicion. "How much did you say you know?"

Finn shrugged innocently. "Well, not much. That's why I came to you," he admitted.

Witte didn't seem to like that reply. "And who is your client?" he asked. He seemed to have found some inner courage and he wasn't shaking any more. He took his glasses off, wiped a spot off them and put them back.

"I'll tell you if you tell me who your boss is," Finn suggested.

Witte looked tempted for a moment, but then he stood up abruptly and covered his face. "I can't! You don't understand the situation I'm in!" he said desperately. "Please, leave. I've already said too much and I don't want him to find out."

"What does this have to do with the statues?" Finn pressed on. He watched Witte for any signs of significance. Thankfully, the man was horrible at hiding his emotions. A pained grimace took over his features and he walked to open the door for Finn.

"Just get out! I have nothing else to say to you!" he said. Finn saw little reason to continue the argument. He hadn't found out much, but he hadn't really been expecting Witte to open his heart to him.

"I'm going," he assured the man. "However, if you want to talk to me later, call to this number and look me up," he said, giving the man the phone number to the Dark Hand HQ. He wasn't about to reveal his own number because he was sure Witte would do a search with it and find out his real name. The Dark Hand didn't have to fear that since the phone was registered with a false ID.

Witte took the card with slightly trembling fingers. "I'd stay out of this if I were you. Believe me," he said. Finn just shrugged and went downstairs.

"Leaving already, Professor?" the old woman asked him as he walked past her.

He flashed a smile at her. "Yeah. We academically educated lead busy lives," he said. He got outside and went back to the car where Hak Foo and Ratso were waiting for him.

"So, did you find out anything?" Ratso asked.

"Not much," Finn had to admit. "However, there is something going on with those Southern American statues the museum has. He didn't say it, but I could see it on his face when I asked him about it."

Ratso pondered it for a minute. "What could it be? Hidden drugs?"

"I don't know," Finn said, "but whatever it is, Valmont just took one of them to New York."

**To be continued...**


	7. You're Not Ready

I don't own Jackie Chan Adventures and I'm by no means making any money with this story. It's written entirely for fun.

I wasn't going to post this chapter until I was finished with the eighth one, but then I asked myself, "Why do I keep these chapters to myself? The next one isn't coming any sooner even if I always keep a finished one as backup." So, here it is.

**DEMONIC DREAMS **

**Chapter 7**

When he opened his eyes, Valmont already knew he was asleep. He realised he must have dozed off in the airplane.

"So, you're back," Bai Tsa remarked.

Valmont didn't reply. He could sense the demon was looking for an excuse to start an argument and he didn't want to fall into her trap. Instead, he pushed past her in order to lead them. He wouldn't just stand around if she wanted to sulk.

At first he didn't hear her steps behind him. He realised that she must have grown exceptionally angry with him again, and he had to resist the urge to glance behind his back to see what she was doing.

After a while, he could hear that she was following him. She wasn't used to wandering in her human form, so she was making a lot of noise. More than he was, Valmont realised with a smug grin. Maybe it was childish, but he cherished the thought that he was better than her at something.

"Did your brother tell you anything new?" he asked when he thought she was close enough.

"No," she replied. "He doesn't know anything more. Finding the solution to this lies in your hands, which means that we're never getting out of this."

Valmont frowned. "It's not that bad. I'm sure I'll find the answer once more important matters have been taken care of."

"What is more important than your life?"

A good question, Valmont had to admit. "My life is not in immediate danger. As long as we make sure that Khala doesn't get too close before I manage to wake up, there should be no problem. Besides, shouldn't I return to my world if he tries to kill me? He'd have to try hard to kill me instantly."

Bai Tsa pondered if for a moment. "Perhaps," she replied. A wicked tone crept into her voice and Valmont could feel her smirk on his back. "However, what if he comes for me first? If I die, we'll never finish our mission and you will come here alone for the rest of you life. Isn't that a charming future?"

She had him there. As much as Valmont detested the fact, he couldn't deny that he needed her. And she needed him, though he wasn't about to say that aloud. Better save such a trump card for a bigger argument.

"There seem to be at least two possible ways out of this situation," he realised.

"What do you mean?" the water demon asked.

"Isn't it obvious? Either we find out our mission, solve it and get out, or I find the solution in my world."

"That would require you to actually work for the goal. I doubt you're up to it."

"I'll have you know --" Valmont started, but stopped both his speech and legs. Bai Tsa, who had been much closer than he had realised, almost bumped into him.

"What?" she asked in irritation.

"Look over there. Isn't that a village?" Valmont pointed to the woods where he could barely see the shapes of small huts.

There was a disgusting sound of stretching skin and bones switching their place when Bai Tsa took her real form. With her demon sight she could see better than Valmont and nodded.

"You're right," she admitted.

Valmont was a little surprised to hear her real voice again. In her human form she had sounded so... normal. He glanced briefly at her demonic body that was a lot taller than him. On one hand he found it reassuring that he supposedly had a demon on his side. On the other hand, there was the problem that they weren't really allies in the actual sense. He didn't like the idea of Bai Tsa suddenly turning against him without a warning.

"Well, shall we go there?" he asked.

"What do you think?" Bai Tsa asked and pushed past him.

The village was built on a large area where all trees had been chopped down. It looked like a safe haven in the middle of the ghastly forest. There were four small huts and a bigger one in the middle. Right in front of it was a fire.

"That must belong to the village leader. Or maybe their medicine man," Valmont observed.

"If there is anyone in here. This place looks deserted," Bai Tsa said.

"Even so, it must be here for a reason." Valmont went to take a look at the biggest hut. It was well constructed and dark wooden statues decorated the outer walls. Two of them stood at the entrance, as if guarding it from unwanted visitors. The idea of going past the statues and stepping inside made him a little nervous, but he didn't want to make Bai Tsa think he was afraid.

It wasn't nearly as dark inside as he had expected. Small cracks in the walls let a little light in, so it was easy to see what was in the hut. There were a few pots and some sort of a carpet made out of thick tree bark. Right in the middle of the hut stood a wooden framework with a colourful cloth hanging on it.

The figures on the cloth were rough, but it was still clear to Valmont what they represented. A tall mountain with a snowy top dominated the cloth and the two figures on top it could be nobody else but him and Bai Tsa. He was a human figure and she was a blue snake. It all made him think back to the stone he had found earlier.

"What is that?" Bai Tsa asked, entering the hut after him.

"I think it's another clue," Valmont remarked. "It looks like we have to climb a mountain of some sort."

"And?"

"Take a look yourself. It doesn't say much else."

"Since we have no idea where this mountain is supposed to be --" Bai Tsa started but froze in the middle of her sentence.

"What?" Valmont asked.

"Shh!" Bai Tsa hissed. She crept to the entrance and peered out carefully. "I think I heard something," she whispered.

Valmont hadn't noticed anything, but he didn't argue. If there was something, Bai Tsa was more likely of the two of them to be alerted. He watched in curiosity as she stepped outside. For a few seconds everything was quiet, and then there was a soft thump and a suppressed yelp of pain. It was the water demon.

"What is it?" Valmont asked and rushed out of the hut. What he saw made him freeze on his tracks.

Khala had finally decided to appear again. The dark man had wasted no time and was already giving Bai Tsa trouble. She was clutching her side and panting with pain, face twisted into a grimace. Valmont guessed Khala had been able to surprise her so that she hadn't had a chance of striking back.

"Ah, you two are still together. How amusing," Khala observed as he saw Valmont.

"What do you want?" the Brit asked, though the answer was fairly obvious. It just felt like the right thing to say.

"Take a guess!" Bai Tsa snapped at him.

It made Khala chuckle. He was standing with his arms on his sides. Valmont didn't let it fool him. He knew that the creature would be able to strike either of them in one blink if he so desired. He tried to concentrate on what little body movement Khala had to prepare himself, but the ghastly mask on the creature's face was really distracting.

Suddenly Khala was already in the air. Valmont barely had the time to dodge. He simply had no chance to return a punch or a kick. He growled in frustration since he knew he was a capable fighter. He took one jump back to get a little space and then aimed a swift kick at Khala's head.

I wish I could see his face, he thought briefly before he almost tripped. Khala had moved so fast that Valmont's attack didn't even touch him. The Brit was sure even Jackie wouldn't have been able to do that.

"What are you?" he asked with wide eyes. Well, he knew he was a nature spirit, but that didn't really tell him much.

Khala offered no reply. He was standing still again and merely observing the two of them. It didn't look like he was even out of breath.

"Why do you want to kill us?" Valmont asked then. Khala had to have a motive. Nobody killed just for the enjoyment, unless they were insane. In Khala's case it was possible, but something told him that there was more to it than that.

"You'll understand in due time," Khala said. Valmont had to wonder if that meant the man wasn't going to kill them right now.

"Then what do you want now?" Bai Tsa asked, obviously realising the same thing.

Khala turned to look at her. "It would be against my nature to take you now, as tempting as it is. Instead, I wanted to see if you're ready."

"Ready for what?" the both of them asked.

The confusion and short conversation with the enemy were enough to distract them for a few seconds, which Khala used to his advantage. With one swift kick, he sent Bai Tsa to the ground and landed a safe distance away from the demon's strong tail.

He seems to prefer attacking her, Valmont thought. It was a good thing because it gave him the chance to act. While Khala was dodging yet another attack from Bai Tsa, he managed to find an opening and deliver one sharp kick to the man's side.

However, Khala collected himself quickly and turned to look at him. "I didn't attack you," he stated.

"What?" Valmont asked in confusion.

"He wants to know why you're defending me, idiot!" Bai Tsa snapped.

"But I'm not!" Valmont threw back. "Really, I'm thinking about myself!" He looked at Khala as if the man was mad. Who in their right mind would risk their life for a demon?

Khala made a clicking sound with his tongue. "You aren't ready, then. Pity." Then he was gone, as silently as he had arrived.

Valmont didn't like it at all. He hated it when he had to deal with a situation he didn't know everything about. Right now he guessed there was nothing he knew for certain, so the situation was the worst he could imagine.

He watched how Bai Tsa picked herself up from the ground and touched her injured side. She winced and Valmont tried not to think about what it felt like to be attacked by Khala. One thing he hoped was that he'd never have to feel that. What he hoped almost as much was that Bai Tsa wouldn't get seriously hurt. He needed her to be a distraction in future fights and he didn't want to deal with a hurt demon. He might even have to --

"He's hunting us," the water demon said.

"Hmm? What did you say?" Valmont asked. "I was thinking about something else."

The demon rolled her eyes and sighed. "He's the spirit of hunting, remember. He is going to kill us, but not before he has had his fun tracking us down."

It made sense, Valmont guessed. It was also a pleasing idea. It meant that when they met Khala in the future, they wouldn't necessarily have to fight for their lives every time. Just the last time, whenever that was.

"What do you think he meant by saying that we aren't ready?" he asked.

"How should I know? It was probably just something to confuse us with," Bai Tsa said. She turned to look at the main building in the village. "I doubt there's anything else for us here. We need to start looking for that mountain."

"It could be anywhere. How many mountains are there in Africa?" Valmont could remember only one and it was located in Tanzania. If his memory served him right, it was really high, and he didn't like the idea of climbing to the top.

Bai Tsa offered him no reply, which probably meant that she didn't know the correct answer either.

"Wonderful," Valmont sighed. He decided to go back inside the hut to see if there were any other clues. His eyes were drawn back to the cloth. Now that he had examined the picture of him and Bai Tsa earlier, he turned his attention to the edgy decoration on the bottom frame.

It looked incomplete somehow, as if the cloth had been cut off in the middle. He pondered it for a moment before he decided that he wanted to take the picture along, just in case. He carefully folded it and put it into his pocket.

"Are we ready to go?" Bai Tsa asked outside.

"I'm ready when you are," Valmont replied and exited the hut.

They decided to continue to the direction they had already been going. They both agreed that the further away they got from the starting point, the better. Maybe it wasn't the best way to handle things, considering that their lives depended on the outcome, but neither had a better idea – and neither was going to say it.

As he walked before the demon (she had taken a human form again and was keeping an eye on their back), Valmont's thoughts turned back to what was going on in the real world. He was currently sitting on a plane on his way to meet Domisch in New York. The trip would determine just what kind of position The Dark Hand was holding at the moment, and he would have much preferred putting all his energy into it.

A pained yelp and a low hiss yanked him back to the moment at hand. He tensed and shot a glance around, ready to defend himself in case Khala had returned. When nothing happened for a few seconds, he let himself relax. That was when he noticed that Bai Tsa was sitting on the ground, holding her ankle.

"What?" the demon spat when she noticed his stare.

"What happened?" Valmont asked.

Bai Tsa frowned and turned her eyes to the ground. "This is a cursed dream land, remember? I think something emerged from the ground and grabbed me," she said.

Somehow, Valmont found that hard to believe. "It looks to me like you just tripped over," he said, observing the twigs and roots on the ground.

"I did not! Demons don't trip!"

"Ones who are more used to slithering than walking might." Valmont realised that it was a miracle this hadn't happened sooner. Bai Tsa was so arrogant and full of herself that she probably never used her true form, unless it was absolutely necessary. He guessed she couldn't be used to handling a human body.

He watched how Bai Tsa closed her eyes and how her shoulders shook. For a moment he thought she might cry, but then realised that she was trembling with fury. He took an alarmed step back, just in time. Within the next moment, the water demon had jumped to her feet. Or rather, she tried to. When she put weight on her injured ankle, she yelped and almost fell over again.

Valmont couldn't stop a smug grin from creeping to his face. "I take it you aren't very used to being a human," he said.

"Shut up."

"What? No witty come back?" This was meant more as an honest question than another insult, but it wasn't surprising how Bai Tsa took it. She bit her lip so hard that it started bleeding, her eyes flashed red and her hair twitched. It looked like her human body wouldn't be able to hold her demonic nature any longer.

"Shut. Up! You have nothing worthwhile to say, and I'm sick of hearing your voice!" she snapped. With every word, a part of her human disguise was dropped until she was towering over him in her true form. Even though he knew that whatever she did to him would only result in him waking up, Valmont couldn't help taking another alarmed step back.

"I didn't even try to insult you this time!" he defended himself.

"Oh, really? Then why do you keep acting like you're superior to me and mocking everything I do or say?" Bai Tsa asked. She opened and closed her clawed fists as she spoke, as if trying to suppress her desire to tear out Valmont's heart.

Valmont was surprised to hear that. It sounded as if the demon was… over-sensitive. He hadn't even realised his comments had angered her that much.

"Because that's exactly the way you treat me. You can't expect me to treat you as a companion with that example," he said.

The demon looked appalled. Her face twisted in disgust. "I don't want companionship! I want you to act like the slave – maybe a lowly servant if you behave – you are!"

"Then I suppose we aren't getting anywhere. You are not my mistress, and you can't control me. If you can't accept that, we are never going to be able to work together as a team," Valmont reasoned. Part of him couldn't believe it that he was the one trying to make this work out. The rational part of his mind reminded him that if he ever wanted out of the situation, he would have to make sacrifices. Tolerating this demon would have to be one of them.

Bai Tsa opened her mouth to complain, but Valmont wasn't finished yet.

"And we are going to have to work together if we want out alive. Khala was right about us not being ready," he said.

"You think that's what he meant?" Bai Tsa asked. Her voice had a suspicious note to it. She obviously didn't want to believe anything Valmont was saying.

The Brit shrugged. "I don't know, but it's still true." The only reply he got to that was a snort from the demon.

"So, are we going to --?" he tried to ask, but his surroundings started to fade away before he had the time to finish.

* * *

Bai Tsa let out a breath she hadn't realised she had been holding. The never ending red sky almost felt like a decent change to the heated argument with Valmont.

The man was really starting to push it. Even if they shared a common problem and had to stick together to solve it, they didn't have to be equal partners. She never worked with humans whom she thought unworthy, and Valmont hadn't done a thing to prove that he wasn't the pathetic loser Shendu said he was.

She glanced around, expecting to find Tso Lan nearby. However, there was nobody in sight. She realised the moon demon must have got bored with watching her sleeping form and had wandered elsewhere to look for amusement.

The water demon decided that she didn't feel like dwelling on her current situation very much and went to look for her siblings. If she was lucky, it might even be her turn to torture Shendu.

The first soul she met was Po Kong. The mountain demon was dozing off on the same rock where Bai Tsa had last seen her. She had probably slept the entire time.

Po Kong opened her eyes when she heard her sister approach. "Where have you been? I've been looking for you!" she said with a dissatisfied frown.

"No, you haven't. You never move," Bai Tsa pointed out.

"Well, true, but I was starting to wonder what had happened to you. It's almost the same thing." Po Kong yawned loudly and stretched her arms.

"I've been elsewhere with Tso Lan," Bai Tsa said. She didn't want to share the story with anyone but the moon demon. The others would have only started pressuring her into finding a way out. There was a chance it was impossible, and she didn't want to end up as a tormented failure like Shendu.

Po Kong made an unhappy face. "That old cocoon? Why would you want to have anything to do with him?" she asked. It was no secret that the mountain demon still hadn't forgiven Tso Lan for pushing her aside when competing for the eighth portal. Bai Tsa guessed it might take some five hundred years before Po Kong started talking to her older brother again.

"He told me some stories." Suddenly, she got an idea. "Say, you were around when Tso Lan was to be wed with Amballa. Tell me about it."

Po Kong let out a small laugh and threw her head back. "I had forgotten all about it! So kind of you remind me." She frowned in concentration, and Bai Tsa knew better than to interrupt her. Unlike an outsider might think, Po Kong wasn't a fool whose thoughts only extended to her next meal. She merely took her time and was careful about everything.

"Yes, I remember it," the mountain demon finally said. "She was a pretty creature, for a demon who got her powers from the savannah, that is. She looked like those felines that run really fast, I forget their name. Awfully skinny, though. You could see her bones and that's not healthy."

Bai Tsa wasn't interested in hearing descriptions of others, especially other females, but she remained quiet. She really wanted to hear the story and knew that angering Po Kong wasn't a wise thing to do.

"Anyway, her father, Bekele, was a friend of our father's. They had fought together in battle and sworn that one day, their children would join the two families. Both chose their oldest child. At first it looked like it was going to work. Tso Lan and Amballa didn't hate each other and neither complained about the marriage."

Po Kong's face twisted in disdain. "Of course, I could see it wouldn't be. They were too different. Amballa was an untamed soul. She had lived her entire life under the sky, running in the savannah with spirits. She had never practised spells and couldn't even read. Try to mix that with Tso Lan," she said.

"But I thought he loved her," Bai Tsa said, remembering what Tso Lan had said earlier.

"Hm, I wouldn't call it love. Any male would have found Amballa lovely in the beginning. She was full of life and most people do find that kind of thing attractive," Po Kong said. "Eventually, it became obvious that the two were too different to ever be able to live together. Father and Bekele didn't want to call off the wedding, but thankfully, Amballa solved the problem by running off with Obadala, one of the local leopard spirits. That was exactly the kind of reckless thing she was known for."

"And you never heard from her again?" Bai Tsa asked. She found herself liking the cheetah demon, even though their elements couldn't have been any different. Something told her they would have been kindred spirits, though she realised that she had more respect for family and responsibility than the African demon.

"No, and I can't say I'm sorry. I never really liked her," Po Kong said. "Now, where did you hear about this in the first place? You were a mere baby back then."

"Tso Lan mentioned it."

"He did? That's odd; I would have though he'd want to forget all about such an embarrassment. To be abandoned like that…" Po Kong smiled to herself as she thought about it, and Bai Tsa decided to leave her sister alone to gloat. She had heard what she had wanted. Maybe it was time to find her brother and talk about the latest developments.

She found Tso Lan with Xiao Fung. The two demons didn't seem to be doing anything but talking, so she dared to interrupt them.

"I need to talk to you. In private," she said to the moon demon.

Xiao Fung cocked a curious eyebrow at them. "Ooh, secrets! Tell me!"

"None of your business," Bai Tsa snapped and shot an angry glare at her younger brother. Unfortunately, the wind demon wasn't about to let a chance of entertainment pass him that easily.

"Come on," he said, taking one giant leap to his sister's side. "You know how boring it is here. Don't steal all the fun!"

Bai Tsa felt like a headache was coming. Just a moment ago she had spent all her energy fighting with Khala and raging at Valmont. The last thing she wanted was to deal with was an annoying little brother.

"Get lost," she snapped.

"Leave us, and I'll let you torture Shendu for me when my turn comes," Tso Lan suggested.

Xiao Fung's eyes lit up at this. "Really? It's a deal!" He beamed with a happy grin and leapt away to annoy someone else.

"Thank you," Bai Tsa said sincerely. Right now Tso Lan felt like the most wonderful person in the world and for a split second, she regretted everything bad she had ever said about him. The moment passed soon, though, and she mentally told herself not to lose it.

"It's nothing. Shendu's screams stopped amusing me quite a while ago," Tso Lan said. "What did you want to talk about?"

"Khala is playing with us. He had an opportunity to kill us but he didn't. He said we weren't ready," Bai Tsa said.

"I don't think that's very surprising. He is the spirit of hunting, after all. You should be glad about the extra time you get," Tso Lan pointed out.

Bai Tsa growled in frustration and threw her arms in the air. "Right now I'm too annoyed to be happy about anything. When I agreed to work together with that mortal, I thought he would eventually accept his role as my servant. All the talk about equal status and being fair was supposed to be just petty rebelling!"

"He's giving you trouble, then?" Tso Lan asked. "Funny. I can't remember when was the last time you were unable to tame a mortal."

The water demon twisted her lips in irritation. "I haven't had the time to break him. He's no use to me like that," she said.

"Then why do you complain?"

"What do you mean?"

"If you want him to be able to help you get out, you need a partner, not a slave. Yet you say you wouldn't be happy with either scenario," the moon demon said slowly, as if he was explaining it to a small child.

Bai Tsa crossed her arms on her chest but didn't argue. The thing was, she wasn't sure what she wanted. The idea of having Valmont as her slave had first crossed her mind when she had been freed to the real world, and she had never quite given it up. Now she was supposed to work together with him, and it made her feel like she was lowering herself to his level. On the other hand, if she broke him, he wouldn't be able to do his end of the deal.

She didn't want to admit that Tso Lan was right (as usual), so she slithered away with an unhappy sigh.

* * *

Valmont was happy when he got away from the airport. He wasn't a friend of places filled with people and being just part of a crowd didn't give him the chance to show his best sides.

"I hate flying," he announced when he was sitting comfortably in the black limo Domisch had sent to pick him up.

The Swiss, who had come to greet him personally, raised a brow at him. "I thought you loved it," he pointed out.

That had been the case when Valmont had been able to afford a private jet, but he wasn't about to say it aloud. "I've had a few bad experiences," he replied.

"Does that have something to do with the… trouble you've had for the past months?" Domisch asked.

"Maybe."

"Damn it, Valmont, what are you hiding? If you think I'm going to let you in when you won't reveal anything, you're wrong!" the other man snapped and ran his fingers through his dark brown hair, as he always did when he was getting frustrated.

"I don't think it's any of your business what I've been up to lately," Valmont said.

"It's very much my business if it has the chance of endangering my dealings," Domisch said.

Valmont suppressed a frustrated sigh. "Believe me, it won't. It's all in the past." Alright, that was a lie, but who was counting? It wasn't the first time he lied to his friends.

"I wish I could be sure of that," Domisch said. "There's a lot of money involved here and I don't want to screw this up."

The limo reached its destination and the two men stepped out in front of an expensive hotel. A doorman let them in and they didn't continue talking until they were alone in the elevator.

"So, you're saying you don't trust me," Valmont remarked.

Domisch snorted. "Of course I don't."

Since Valmont was Domisch's guest, the Swiss had taken the liberty of booking him a room in the hotel as well. The Brit took fifteen minutes (too little in his opinion, but Domisch was an impatient man) to refresh after the flight and then met his friend in the latter's room.

"Can we speak freely?" he asked as he sat down, placing his suitcase on the table. It contained the stolen statue he had brought over as a gift.

"I had one of my men check the room," Domisch replied.

"Alright. What is it that you have for me?" Valmont asked.

Domisch twisted his lips in annoyance. "You haven't changed one bit. Everything is about business to you. I would have thought you'd be at least a little happier about seeing an old friend," he said, sounding a little offended.

Valmont realised that he had forgotten how highly Domisch regarded companionship and loyalty. He scolded himself for the mistake and said smoothly, "I am, but I'd be even happier if I could concentrate on the fun part once all the work is done."

The Swiss didn't look convinced, but didn't push the matter. "Are you familiar with the name Stephen Holthouse?" he asked.

Valmont had heard the name a few times, but couldn't remember much of the man. "Doesn't he have something to do with art?" he guessed.

Domisch nodded. "Yes. He owns several galleries here in New York and has an impressive private collection. He is especially interested in everything that is European and at least three centuries old," he said.

"And what does that have to do with us?" Valmont asked.

"He has a mansion in Thailand and is planning on retiring there in a few years. He wants to have the most impressive art collection there and is willing to pay anything to get some European treasures. I have agreed to provide him with as many rarities as possible, but we need someone to take the art from here to San Francisco, where we have a ship waiting to set sail to Asia. It has to be a different organization, so that if you get caught, nothing links back to us," Domisch explained.

"Smuggling has never been an essential part of The Dark Hand business," Valmont pointed out, but he liked the idea. Nothing Chinese was involved, so he'd probably not run into Chan any time soon. Also, this was a good opportunity to gain respect in new fields.

"I know, but I think you can do it. You've been out of business for a while, so nobody is paying you attention right now. Of course, there are some dozen other organizations that also want the job. You need to convince Holthouse that you're the best."

Valmont snorted. "That's not going to be difficult, if I get to meet him, that is."

"You will. He's throwing a party tonight and I got you on the invitation list," Domisch said and Valmont had to smile at that. He had had no idea that the Swiss had become so resourceful.

He picked up his suitcase and opened it. "I know Holthouse isn't the only one who likes art. A few days ago, my men raided a warehouse and got this," he said and placed the black statue on the table.

"Looks Mayan," Domisch pointed out as he examined the statue. "And crap."

"It's very valuable and rare," Valmont lied, "so, I thought I'd give to you, as a sign of real friendship."

He was quite annoyed when Domisch only laughed at him. "Please, don't expect me to believe that! This piece of junk is worthless, and you're only giving it to me because you want to keep me happy. Of course, that is one of the reasons I like you."

"It's not that bad," Valmont remarked dryly. Of course, the statue was the ugliest thing he had seen in a while, but at least it was real. He wondered what Domisch would have said if he had brought the fake statue his men had stolen from Bronson.

"Hm, I suppose not. It might make a good paperweight. In fact, I think I'll give it to Holthouse this evening. He just might like it," Domisch said.

"If he does, remember to tell him that it was my idea," Valmont said.

"And if he hates it?"

"Why do you even ask?"

* * *

Valmont looked around in the hall and couldn't remember when he had last time felt so at home. Everyone was dressed in suits and dresses that cost more than a small country and talking about money and society, and servants were weaving their way through the crowd, serving drinks, canapés, and small pastries.

"Oh, what a lovely diamond necklace you have!" one of the women cooed at another near him.

"I'm so glad you noticed! Richard got it for me on our anniversary. It only cost ten thousand," the other woman said, and Valmont felt like he was in Heaven. He was finally among people who were like him.

He took the drink a servant was offering him and turned to Domisch. The Swiss was dressed in an orange suit that would have looked horrible on anyone else, but somehow managed to make him look like a man in power.

"When did you say Holthouse was coming?" Valmont asked.

"In an hour or so. He always comes a little late," Domisch replied. "Here, try these. They're very good." He offered Valmont some salmon snacks.

"Have you met him before?" Valmont continued. He wanted to know everything about the man he was supposed to impress.

"Only twice. The only piece of advice I can give you is that if you don't know anything about art, don't try to pretend that you do. He'll see through it and he doesn't like liars."

Well, that cleared one problem. Valmont had been afraid that he'd have to engage in chitchat about artists whom he had never even heard of before. It might have become quite an embarrassing experience.

"Where did you put the statue?" he asked next.

"I asked one of the servants to hold onto it for me until Holthouse arrives," Domisch said and suddenly elbowed Valmont to the ribs. "Hey, take a look at that in two o'clock! Isn't she just the hottest thing you've ever seen?"

"Hm?" Valmont turned around to look and spat out the salmon tart he had been eating.

On the other side of the hall stood nobody other than Viper… and right next to her, Jackie Chan!

**To be continued…**


	8. Conflict

I don't own JCA, no money is being made and so on.

I'm really sorry about the delay again. I made the chapter a bit longer to make up for it. No Valmont/Bai Tsa or Enforcers in this one, but both will feature in the next one.

The first name I use for Valmont in this chapter is **Momi-chan's **idea. I asked her if I could use it and she said yes, but I'm not sure if she remembers it anymore.

**DEMONIC DREAMS **

**Chapter 8**

Valmont turned around on his heels and grabbed Domisch's shoulders.

"What the--?" the Swiss asked as his friend dragged him into the crowd, but Valmont didn't reply until they were safely out of sight.

"We have to get out of here," he said. "That was Chan!"

"Who?"

"Chan!" Valmont repeated with wide, panicked eyes. "The man who brought me to ruin last time!"

Domisch turned back to look at this dangerous man. Jackie threw a small pastry into his mouth, almost choked on it, and knocked over a waiter in his attempt to get air. He turned to help the fallen man up with a goofy grin and an "Oops, sorry!"

"Right…" the Swiss said.

Valmont was ready to tear his hair out. "Don't look at me like that! I'm serious! That woman next to him, she's just almost as dangerous. I don't know how they found out that I'm here, but we have to get out of here!"

Domisch just shook his head and clicked his tongue. "Don't be ridiculous. There are just two of them. What could they do?" he asked.

"You haven't seen what I have," Valmont muttered. He couldn't tear his eyes from Jackie who was currently discussing something with Viper. It looked like they hadn't noticed him yet, but – knowing his luck – it was only a matter of time before that happened.

He drew a deep breath and forced himself to calm down a little. It wasn't like him to panic like this. He certainly hadn't done so when facing Chan before. Had this happened a little later, with The Dark Hand in power again, he might have actually been delighted. An opportunity for revenge was never to be wasted. But now…

"He's going to ruin everything. I know it," he said darkly.

Domisch snorted. "Stop that. If he bothers you so much, I can ask the security to throw him out," he offered.

"No, don't do that. Then he'd know that something is going on," Valmont said. He pondered the situation for a while. It was risky, but if he just stayed out of Chan's way, he might get out of this without having to face the man. He would have to meet Holthouse somewhere away from Chan.

"Is Holthouse here yet?" he asked, turning his back on Chan. That way he might not be recognised right away, but on the other hand, he wouldn't know if Chan noticed him.

Domisch took a glance around. "No, I don't think so. I wouldn't be surprised if it took another twenty minutes."

"Perfect. What could make this a better evening?" Valmont muttered dryly. "Is Chan looking at me?" he whispered then.

"No," Domisch replied and rolled his eyes. "I can't have you act like that around Holthouse. I'm going to ask that Chan what he's doing here, so that you can be at ease," he said.

"Wait! No!" Valmont tried to object, but Domisch had already strolled past him. The Brit took one step after his friend, realised that he didn't want to get any closer to Chan, and quickly dove behind a pillar. There he could keep an eye on the situation.

* * *

"I'm so sorry about that," Jackie said to the poor waiter. The man shot an annoyed glare at him, but twisted his lips into a smile.

"It's nothing, sir," he said smoothly.

"Smart move," Viper pointed out when the waiter had left. Jackie glanced at her. In her black dress, she looked like she had been born to spend her life in this kind of parties. She was holding a drink, having meaningless conversations with the other guests and she always knew just what to do. He felt so clumsy compared to her.

"You know I don't like these parties," he muttered. He already regretted coming. Viper had invited him over to help her. She said she was keeping an eye on the host, someone called Holthouse. Apparently, he was suspected of criminal connections and art thefts, and Viper had been hired to find out more.

He turned his attention back to the present moment when he noticed that someone in an orange suit was approaching him. Jackie quickly neutralised his annoyed expression and smiled.

"Oh, good evening," he said.

"I don't think I've seen you here before. Chan, isn't it?" the other man asked.

"How did you know my name?" Jackie asked in confusion. He noted how Viper frowned and took a sip of her drink.

The man smiled a little and glanced behind his shoulder. "A friend of mine mentioned you," he said. "I'm Friedrich Domisch," he said, offering his hand.

"Jackie Chan," Jackie said and accepted the gesture. "You like art?"

Domisch chuckled and nodded. "Of course. That's why we're all here," he said.

"Right, of course," Jackie said. He wondered what this man wanted of him. It was possible that he was just being friendly, but from what he had seen, these people weren't the kind to just randomly start making friends with strangers.

"And who is this lovely lady?" Domisch asked, gesturing at Viper. The woman took another sip of her drink.

"You can call me Viper," she replied. To Jackie's surprise, Domisch took her hand and kissed it briefly. For a moment, Viper looked startled as well, but she recovered a lot faster than her friend.

"And I thought manners were dead," she said with a smirk. That annoyed Jackie for some reason.

"So, are you here to buy art?" he asked, sounding a lot more irritated than he had meant. He forced himself to smile again, not wanting to seem rude.

"No, I'm just enjoying the free food," Domisch said. "You?"

"Well, we --" Jackie started, but Viper interrupted him.

"We're very interested in adding some new pieces to our collection. Lately, there hasn't been anything interesting in the market," she said and flipped her hair behind her shoulder.

"Everything is already owned by someone and most collectors don't want to part with their treasures," Domisch pointed out. "You should check out some of the galleries here in New York. They offer some interesting pieces of modern art."

Viper smiled at him. "Thanks for the advice, but we aren't looking for red dots on white background. We want something classy. Something that would have art historians drooling."

"Sounds like you're after things that aren't available to private collectors."

"Oh, I wouldn't be so sure about that. Everything has a price," Viper said. She put her empty glass on a tray a passing waiter was carrying, not tearing her eyes from Domisch for one second. Jackie was starting to feel ignored, not having anything to say about art dealings. What he wanted was to have as many pieces as possible in museums where everyone could see them and researches had access to them.

Domisch chuckled approvingly. "I like your style, lady. I'd love to stick around and talk about… other things, but I think my friend is getting impatient." He greeted them both with a gesture of two fingers and turned around, disappearing into the crow.

Jackie watched after him with a thoughtful expression. "I don't like him," he stated.

"Me neither," Viper said. Jackie was happy to hear that.

"I think we should keep an eye on him," he said. Maybe it was because the other man had been too smooth, had left their company too soon (right after finding out what they were supposedly doing), or because he had seemed so smitten with Viper, but Jackie was sure that there was something suspicious about him.

"I agree. If our host turns out to be what we think he is, over half of these people are probably in it with him," Viper said. She nodded towards the direction Domisch had disappeared to. "Wonder who his friend is?"

"I have no idea," Jackie said, shaking his head. What he did know was that there was someone who knew about him and could endanger the entire mission. If someone told Holthouse that he and Viper weren't what they claimed to be (rich collectors with questionable morals), they'd be in a lot of trouble.

* * *

Fred the waiter entered the kitchen with a frown and a sour grimace. His friend, Tom, threw an amused glance at his direction.

"What now? Someone stepped on your foot?" he asked, placing martinis on a tray and making sure they were in a symmetric formation.

"Sometimes I wonder why I'm still here. I hate this job! All day long, I serve those stuck-up bastards and I never get anything for it! Just now, some idiot fell on me and knocked over all the drinks! Look at this shirt!" Fred snapped and pointed at his once white clothes that were now covered in an interesting shade of green.

"Everyone has bad days," Tom offered calmly.

Fred didn't seem to even listen. "I swear, if it wasn't for Martha and the kids, I would walk up to that Holthouse idiot and tell him just what I think of him and his oh-so-posh guests!" He walked over to the cupboards and took a small statue into his hands.

"What's that?" Tom asked in mild interest.

"Some stupid statue some stupid guest gave me. Told me to keep an eye on it until he comes to get it. Do I look like a left-luggage office to you?" Fred ranted and threw the statue on the counter. He picked up a knife and started cutting lemon for the drinks.

"Maybe he thought you looked like he could trust you?" Tom said, attempting to give his friend at least one reason to cheer up.

"Bah, he probably – oh, damn! Ow!" Fred dropped the knife and grabbed his hand, drops of blood dripping through between his fingers. He removed his hand to grab a towel, but, upon seeing how much the wound was actually bleeding, panicked a little and missed, knocking over the statue in the process. Some blood dropped on the wooden surface.

Tom, being the calmer of the two, walked up to his friend and offered him a towel. "Here. You really should be more careful. That's, what, the sixth time this month?" he said.

"Well, it's not my fault if these knives are crap," Fred muttered, pressing the cloth to the cut and watching how Tom went to get some bandages. Even in his anger, he remembered his responsibilities and looked behind his shoulder to where the statue had been.

"Hey, where did the statue go?" he asked.

"What? It probably fell on the floor or something," Tom said, not even turning back to look.

"No, I don't think so. I can't see it anywhere," Fred said in confusion. He knelt over and looked into the lower cupboards and under the table. There was nothing.

"Well, let's get you patched up first, and then we'll find it. I mean, it can't just have walked off on its own, right?"

* * *

Valmont was feeling a lot better when Domisch returned. In fact, he was a little embarrassed about how silly he had been. After all he had been through, one encounter with Chan couldn't be that bad.

"What did he say?" he asked his friend.

Domisch adjusted his green tie and grinned, looking very happy with himself. He grabbed a new drink and took a sip before replying.

"They seem harmless. They're here just to buy some art," he said.

Valmont cocked a brow. "And you believed that? Jackie Chan never buys art. He digs it up in ancient temples and almost gets everyone present killed in the process." Now that he thought about it, he realised that being in this kind of place really wasn't Jackie's style. Valmont doubted it was a Section 13 mission either, so he came to the conclusion that Viper was the key this time. Maybe they weren't chasing him after all.

"What about the woman?" he asked. He didn't really know that much about her. There had been the brief meeting during the Snake Talisman hunt, and he thought she had been there when they had stolen the Pan Ku box. He had been under Shendu's power back then, so he didn't remember that much. All he knew for certain was that she had switched to the right side of the law and was not to be underestimated (a mistake he had made in the past and didn't want to repeat).

Domisch's grin grew wider, and the man ran his fingers through his dark brown hair. "Wow. I'd really have a go at her if it wasn't for… well, anyway… I doubt they'll cause any trouble. They just seem to be interested in the art."

"I already told you, Chan doesn't buy art, and he doesn't socialize with this kind of people. Those two are obviously after something else," Valmont said and took a careful glance at his enemy. Jackie was talking with Viper, and he would have paid much to know what they were saying.

He forced himself to forget that for the moment, and returned his attention to Domisch. "Where will we meet Holthouse?" he asked.

"In his office in the upper floor. It's quite a view," his friend replied. "But first we have to give him the chance to spend time with his guests. Then he'll pick some of us and take us up for a chat. I'll make sure we go first."

"That better be the case," Valmont said. The sooner he got this deal over with, the sooner he could get away from under Chan's nose.

It took some ten minutes more before Holthouse finally decided to arrive. All conversations ceased and everyone turned their attention to the elderly man who was standing on a central stage. The man was toying with his fine grey moustache and let his blue eyes survey the room before he spoke.

"I'm glad to see so many familiar faces here tonight. I know that a formal speech isn't a usual thing in this kind of events, so I won't give one. I only want to welcome you all and remind you that I have time for every offer you might have. If you only want to enjoy the food and company, that is fine with me as well," he said, then walked down to greet the closest guests.

"Should we go to him?" Valmont asked, but Domisch shook his head.

"No, he doesn't like over-enthusiastic opportunists. He'll come to us when he feels like it."

The Swiss turned his attention to the food that was being served, but Valmont couldn't eat. He wasn't nervous, but he wanted to concentrate fully on the situation at hand. He wondered what the best way to impress the old man was. If Domisch was right, lying wouldn't accomplish anything. That made things difficult since he was used to getting what he wanted by deceit.

After a while, he saw Holthouse approaching them. Valmont kept his face expressionless as he eyed the man. Up close, he could see the faint lines on the man's face and the piercing eyes that felt like they were ready to cut into his soul. Holthouse reminded him of his grandfather, and that wasn't a happy mental image.

"Ah, Friedrich! Good to see you!" Holthouse greeted the Swiss.

"It's been a while," Domisch admitted.

"So, what do you think of my little social gathering?" the grey-haired man asked.

Valmont opened his mouth to praise everything, but one warning glance from Domisch's direction stopped him.

"It's fine, but truth to be told, you did better last time," Domisch said.

Holthouse didn't seem annoyed at all. Quite the contrary, he smiled for the first time. "Yes, the fish they serve tonight is mediocre at best. I already decided to fire the cook," he said. Then he turned his eyes to Valmont. "Is this the friend you mentioned?"

"Yes, this is Valmont."

Valmont didn't like it how the two men talked about him like he wasn't there, or was merely a child. He shot an annoyed glare at Domisch's direction and said, "I am capable of introducing myself, thank you."

The host chuckled in amusement. "And you're interested in getting involved in my business?" he asked.

"That's why I'm here," Valmont replied.

Holthouse sniffed to himself. "So, before we get started, would you like to take a look at my art collection? I'm quite proud of it," he said.

"No, thank you. Art doesn't interest me very much. I'd rather go straight to the point," Valmont said. He felt uncertain saying that, as he would have normally just pretended to be interested in whatever the old man wanted to show him.

"That's the attitude I like. At least I can trust that you won't steal my treasures for yourself. Let's go upstairs and continue this there," Holthouse decided. "I already sent there some collectors I spoke with earlier. They sounded like they had interesting offers."

The old man led them to the elevator. The few minutes that it took to reach the up most level were silent, and Valmont spent them contemplating his next move. He wondered how much Holthouse knew about The Dark Hand and their current situation, and what effect it might have on the man's decision.

Finally, they reached the office. It was a magnificent sight. The entire room was made of old, dark wood, but you couldn't see much of it because the walls were almost entirely covered in bookcases and baroque paintings. A thick, red carpet lay on the floor and in the dark it looked like the floor was flooding with blood. A scene from the Bible had been painted on the ceiling, and little angels were peeking through the clouds at everyone who entered the room. The opposite wall was made of glass and showed a breathtaking view of the nightly New York.

None of this, however, was the reason why Valmont froze on his tracks upon stepping inside.

There were already two other people in the office, and their reaction was quite similar to Valmont's.

"Valmont!" Jackie cried out and almost dropped the book he had been browsing through. The poor man looked like the ground had just opened in front of him.

"Chan," Valmont replied calmly, happy for that he had noticed his enemy earlier and wasn't thrown off balance now.

"What are you doing here?" Jackie asked. Then he noticed Domisch. "And you! You were with him all along!"

"You know each other?" Holthouse asked.

"Yes! Valmont is a --" Jackie started, but Viper elbowed him into silence.

"Competition. It's not the first time we're after the same deal," she said. It was a smart move, Valmont had to admit. If it weren't for her, Jackie would have blown their cover right away.

"And what deal might it be this time?" the Brit asked.

Holthouse walked behind his desk and sat down, crossing his hands on it. "They're also interested in providing means of transporting my collection to Thailand," he said.

"Somehow, I find that hard to believe," Valmont replied and flashed a crooked smile at Jackie. The archaeologist only frowned, obviously realising that their game was over. How Valmont delighted seeing that expression on his enemy's face.

Holthouse frowned too, but his expression was one of confusion. "What do you mean?" he asked warily.

"I don't think someone working for a secret government organization is one to be trusted with these matters, am I right?" Valmont asked with an innocent tone. He pointed the tip of his cane at Jackie's direction, then moved it at Viper. "As for her, she used to be a high class thief, but look who she's socializing with now."

"Government organization?" Holthouse asked, jumping to his feet.

"You didn't tell me anything about that!" Domisch snapped.

Valmont smirked to himself, loving how he had suddenly become the one with all the cards.

"It looks like your little mission has failed," he said to Jackie. "And after all that success you had earlier. Pity."

The archaeologist clenched his fist and pointed an accusing finger at Holthouse. "Why does it bother you who we work for? Do you have something to hide?" he asked.

Holthouse laughed and waved his hands in front of him. "Oh, no, no, no. I just don't like it when people lie to me. There's nothing illegal going on in here," he said.

"But he's a criminal! You must know that!" Jackie said, drawing everyone's attention to Valmont. "And if you do, then you're criminals too!"

The friendly expression on Holthouse's face vanished immediately and was replaced with a calculating, cold stare. He pressed a hidden button on his desk.

"Security? I have a little problem up here I'd like you to handle. Yes, permanently, if you please," he said.

Viper glanced at Jackie. "Way to go."

Jackie looked confused for a moment. "But I --" Then he shook his head and got a hold of himself. He took a fighting pose, and Valmont knew what would be coming next. It would have been too easy if Chan had gone down without a fight for once.

Viper followed Jackie's example and jumped. Valmont expected her to attack, so he prepared himself. However, she flew right over him and landed gracefully behind everyone.

"Come on," she said to Jackie, who was going to have to find another way past the enemy. A fragment of a second later, he had aimed a kick at Valmont. The Brit blocked it easily, knowing that Jackie was only trying to distract him to get a chance to escape the room.

"Not so fast, Chan," he taunted. "Now that we've finally met each other in better circumstances, I'm not about to let you leave." He would have delighted in having a man to man battle with his enemy, but he didn't think it was a good idea. Holthouse's office might suffer in the process, and he also wanted to give a calm and calculated impression of himself.

"I'll go after the woman," Domisch offered, and Valmont rolled his eyes. Typical.

"I'm sure the security can handle --" he started, but his friend had already dashed off, no doubt overly excited about this new turn of events. Valmont didn't like being left alone with Jackie and Holthouse.

He pointed the tip of his cane at Jackie's throat like a sword. "And what should we do now?" he asked out loud. He meant it as another taunt, but Holthouse thought he was being addressed.

"My men will be here soon. They'll take care of him and his partner. I must say, Mr. Valmont, that I am quite impressed," he said.

"It was a pleasure," Valmont replied. "Chan and I go a long way back."

Jackie frowned and eyed the tip of the cane, pondering how much damage Valmont could do with it if he tried to run for it. He glanced briefly at Holthouse.

"You will never get Viper. She's too clever for you," he said.

Valmont smiled. "She won't leave you alone. As long as we have you, we have nothing to worry about."

Suddenly, a man stumbled inside and fell to his knees. Everyone turned around when they heard his gasps. Valmont even lowered his cane, but everyone (including Jackie) was too surprised to notice that.

The man was holding his throat and obviously trying to say something, but nothing understandable came out of his mouth. Then, a few drops of blood fell down his chin until blood was pouring through his clenched teeth. He fell to the floor with a thud and didn't move.

That broke the spell that had taken over everyone. Holthouse ran around his desk and knelt beside the dead man, shaking his shoulders.

"Carter, what's wrong with you?" he asked. He carefully removed the man's hands from his throat and revealed a puncture wound. It was bleeding freely now that nothing was stopping it.

"What happened to him?" Jackie asked. They had all forgotten the previous situation for a moment and in their shock and confusion, didn't even think about rivalries.

"He must have been one of the security men, am I correct?" Valmont asked. He had no idea what to make of it. The wound was certainly enough to kill a man, but only because it had hit a vital area. It was too small to cause real danger almost anywhere else.

"Yes. He was the head of my men," Holthouse replied. He got up and went to find a tissue to clean the blood off his hands.

Valmont glanced at Jackie. "Looks like your friend has developed some new skills," he pointed out. At least, that's what he wanted to believe. If it wasn't Viper (and it certainly wasn't Domisch; the Swiss preferred shooting his enemy's head off), there was a wild card around.

"What? Viper would never do that!" Jackie snapped.

"Who else has a reason to kill security?" Valmont asked.

"Viper is not evil!"

"She used to be a thief. Do you think she never had to hurt anyone to get what she wanted?"

Jackie bit his lip and looked like he was ready to jump at Valmont and knock his lights out. The Brit realised it might not be a good idea to anger the archaeologist any more. He didn't want to deal with Jackie when the man was unable to control his actions.

He noted that while the two of them had been arguing, Holthouse had pressed a button on his desk and was talking to another security man.

"What happened over there?" the old man was demanding.

"What do you mean, Mr. Holthouse? Everything's normal. We sent a few men to deal with the intruders and --"

Holthouse slammed his hand against the desk. "Carter is dead! Someone stabbed him through the throat! Does that sound normal to you?"

There was a brief silence, and then a voice replied. "We'll look into it. Don't worry. I'll send someone to protect you."

"Bah!" Holthouse snorted and closed the connection. He turned to face Valmont and Jackie. "It looks like there's something strange going on in here. I don't want any of my guests to hear about this, so I expect you to keep your mouth shut," he said and nodded at Valmont.

"Of course," Valmont said at once. He pointed at Jackie. "What about him? Should he be silenced?"

Holthouse sighed. "I'll have my security deal with him, provided that one of them gets up here alive," he said. "What a mess…"

Jackie took a quick glance around and grabbed a tall vase before anyone had the time to stop him. "Forgive me," he muttered to himself and threw the vase at Valmont. Holthouse screamed something about how Ludwig XVI had owned it, and Valmont was busy catching his breath and getting up from the floor where the impact had sent him. Even before he got up, he knew that Jackie had used the moment of confusion to make his escape.

"My vase!" Holthouse wailed and knelt beside the artefact. Valmont wanted to point out that the stupid thing had had a soft landing, but he caught himself just in time.

"Chan ran off!" he said instead.

"I noticed!" Holthouse snapped. "Go after him if it means so much to you!"

Valmont froze. "But I…" He realised that he really didn't want to go hunting for anyone when there was a killer on the loose in the building. Right after that he remembered that Domisch had done exactly that and didn't even know about the danger. For a split second he contemplated on whether he wanted to remain safe with Holthouse, or warn his friend and catch Jackie in the process. It was no hard choice, and soon he had rushed after Jackie through the door.

* * *

Domisch stopped when he came to another empty corridor. There was no sign of the woman. He cursed to himself and ran his fingers through his hair. Where the heck had she disappeared to? He glanced behind his shoulder and pondered if he should return to the others. Then he shook his head to himself and dismissed the idea. He'd be damned if he admitted a woman had turned the tables on him.

She can't have got too far away, he convinced himself and started to walk towards the end of the corridor. There was an elevator. If he was trying to escape, he'd go straight downstairs where the guests were and blend in the crowd. If she had any sense in her head, she had done just that.

He froze when he realised that the elevator was coming up. His hand dashed inside his jacket, only for him to realise that he had left his gun at the hotel. Holthouse didn't allow weapons of any sort in his parties.

Well, whoever it was, he doubted he'd have any trouble from their direction. Most likely it was just some of the security men. This thought made Domisch relax a little and he decided to ask the men if they had had any luck finding that Viper woman.

The elevator came to a halt and the doors opened. To Domisch's utter surprise, there were no security men. It wasn't Viper either.

"Who the hell are you?" he asked.

The little Chinese girl in the elevator blinked at him. Then she folded her arms on her chest and gave him a disapproving frown.

"That's not a way to talk to a girl," she said. She didn't sound shocked or angry, only slightly amused for catching an adult doing something improper. "I'm Jade. Who are you?"

Domisch didn't like the way the girl was looking at him. She wasn't afraid or polite and had an aura of arrogance around her, as if she knew more than him and was aware of the fact. He hated children who didn't know their place.

"What are you doing here? Servants shouldn't be on this floor," he said, noting that she wasn't wearing clothes fit for the party. She couldn't be one of the guests.

The girl rolled her eyes. "I'm not servant. I'm here to look after my uncle. He's always getting himself in trouble and needs me to save his butt," she said. Then she frowned and tilted her head, giving him a thoughtful look.

"Have you seen a woman use the elevator just now?" Domisch asked. He decided to ignore everything else the girl had to say. He didn't have time for her foolish games.

Jade shrugged. "Nope. I've keeping an eye on this elevator, so that I could sneak in while nobody was looking. There were some service people, but nobody else has used this for the past fifteen minutes," she said. "Why do you want to know?"

Domisch rubbed his chin. That meant that the woman hadn't gone down to the first floor. That left the roof and all the twenty other floors that were between him and the ground. Finding Viper started to feel like an impossible task.

"Hello? I asked you a question," Jade said, reminding him that he had something else to deal with.

"Yeah, whatever. Get lost, kid. I'm a little busy right now," Domisch said and didn't even glance at the girl anymore. He decided to go down one floor and start looking for Viper there. He pushed his way past Jade and stepped into the elevator.

He thought he could hear her mutter, "Tch. What an idiot," before the door closed.

The floor Domisch found himself at was where Holthouse had all his Belgian paintings. Everything was quiet and dark, save for the light pouring from the elevator and the faint moonlight in the windows. The Swiss thought it was unlikely anyone would be hiding there, but he decided to check the place just in case. It wouldn't take too long.

His steps sounded hollow in his ears and he felt a shiver go down his spine when he glanced at the dark corners. He knew there was nobody else in the room, but he had never liked darkness. He felt a pressing desire to find a light switch, so that his imagination wouldn't get wild on him. Before he could do that, there was a slight scratching sound behind him.

He whirled around, but there was nothing. Damn. Now he really had to find that stupid light switch.

"Viper? Is that you?" he asked.

Nobody answered him, but there was another sound in the darkness. It sounded like a claws against wood.

"That's not funny at all. We have your friend, so if you want to see him alive again --" Before he could finish, Domisch saw a flying figure against the moonlight from the window. He had only a second to react, and he used it by grabbing the nearest painting and using it has a shield. Something solid crashed against the canvas and he smashed the thing away with it.

What the hell is that, he wondered as he ran towards the elevator. Behind his back, he could hear how the thing got on its feet and threw the ruined painting away. The Swiss had no idea what it could be, but he was sure he didn't want to take a glance back to find out.

Suddenly, the lights were turned on. Domisch froze when he realised that he was looking at the girl from before.

"What are you doing here?" he asked.

"What's going on?" she asked at the same time.

Domisch decided this wasn't a good time for answers, so he simply grabbed the girl and ran into the elevator. When he door closed in front of them, he thought he had never been that relieved in his life.

"Hey, let go of me, you jerk!" Jade snapped, and he dropped her to the floor.

"How did you get there?" Domisch asked, realising that she couldn't have used the elevator. It hadn't gone up even once during his stay on that floor.

Jade shrugged with an innocent look in her eyes. "The stairs," she said. Then her innocence turned into excitement. "What were you running from?"

"I… don't know," Domisch admitted. Then he realised he was talking to a child and scolded himself for his momentary weakness. He straightened his back and flashed a smile at the girl, hoping it would convince her. "There was nothing."

"Uh-huh." The girl looked anything but convinced.

"So, uh… Jade, was it? Yeah, whatever. Children shouldn't be up here. Are you here with your parents? You should go back to them," Domisch said.

"Duh. I already told you I'm here with my uncle. You really need to work on your memory," Jade replied with a smirk.

"Then go back to him. I have no time to play a babysitter."

"But that's what I'm trying to do! He's somewhere in here with his friend, but I can't find them," Jade said. "So, who were you again?"

Domisch felt like a headache was coming. Why was the damn elevator being so slow? They should have reached the right floor an eternity ago. He was just about to tell the girl to shut up when the elevator stopped completely.

"What the--?" He turned to press the correct floor number, but it had no effect. He tried again. And again.

"You know, you're going to break it," Jade observed.

"Well, do you have a better idea?" Of course she wouldn't, Domisch knew. Little brats just liked to pretend they knew more than adults. That was one reason why he hadn't had any children of his own. Maybe one day, but only once he was so old he would lose his hearing and not have to deal with their constant whining and complaining.

"No? Then how about you --" he started and turned around to face Jade, but stopped when he realised that the girl was nowhere in sight. For one split second he thought she had vanished to thin air, but then he looked up and saw that she had opened the hatch in the ceiling and was currently climbing out of the elevator.

How did she do that, he wondered. He knew he didn't have the agility to do the same, not to mention in such a short amount of time. Well, if this little stunt got them out of there, he wasn't going to complain.

"Can you see anything?" he asked.

"No, it's too dark. But I think we're right at the 27th floor or something. We just have to get the elevator doors open an-- whoa! Aah!"

There was a hollow clank and Jade jumped down with wide eyes. "Close that hatch!" she ordered and the panic in her eyes convinced Domisch that something was wrong. He did as he was told and just in time, too. When he was done, he could hear something smash against the metal.

"What is that?" he asked, remembering all too well what had happened to him in the dark earlier.

"I don't know! Some kind of little troll kind of thing!" Jade blurted out. "Come on! We have to open these doors!"

"A troll?" Domisch repeated as Jade pushed past him to struggle with the doors. "But trolls don't exist!" As if the mysterious enemy had heard him, another pound could be heard from the outside. Then another. Domisch needed no other evidence. Even if it wasn't a troll, it had to be something he didn't want to learn to know better.

"Out of my way!" he snapped and pushed Jade aside. He tried to pull the doors open, but he couldn't get any leverage. He gave the door a kick. "Open, dammit!"

Of course it didn't work. The elevator was feeling a lot smaller now and Domisch felt the need to pound at the door in panic until it opened or he blacked out, whichever came first. He had to get out!

"Let me do it," Jade said.

"What do you think you can do?" Domisch snapped. Some part of him knew it wasn't a fair to take out his frustrations on a child, but at the moment he was too panicked to think about anyone else but himself.

Jade pulled something that looked like a carved stone out of her pocket. It had the picture of an ox in it.

"Jackie said I couldn't bring the Talismans with me here, so I only took one," she explained. There was a quick flash when she closed her fingers around it, and then she aimed one kick at the door.

When it not only opened but actually flew to the opposite wall, Domisch knew he had to be dreaming. He knew he was gaping at her with his jaw hanging open, but he found himself unable to do anything sensible.

Jade grabbed his sleeve. "Come on! We have to get out of here!" She dragged him away from the elevator.

The floor they were at didn't contain any art. Instead, it was a simple system of corridors with doors on either side. They were all locked, but one punch from Jade was enough to open any of them. She picked one by random, opened the door (gently this time so that it wouldn't break) and then closed it after them.

"That should hold it for a while," she said in relief.

The room looked like it was meant for guests who wanted to stay over. Domisch collapsed on the single bed with a lost look in his eyes. He ran his fingers through his hair and eyed the strange girl in front of him. Who the heck was she, really?

"What just happened?" he asked. All his previous superiority was gone, but he didn't even notice it.

"Don't worry. I'm a pro with these things. All we have to do is take that thing out if it comes here and then wait for Jackie to come," Jade said. In Domisch's opinion, she was being all too cheerful, considering the situation.

"If it comes after us, you can kill it with that... thing, right?" he asked. He guessed the stone the girl was carrying had to be the reason for her strength, but he didn't know what to make of it. It had to be some kind of advanced technology. That was the only explanation he could come up with.

Jade didn't look so certain about that. "I think it would be a better idea to just capture it. I know someone who is good at banishing evil things," she said. She glanced at the door she had closed. "It has to come through that, so I'll stay here."

I can't believe I'm letting a child protect me, Domisch thought to himself. Now that the danger (if there even was any) was not breathing down his neck, he found himself able to think more clearly. He would have to get back to Valmont and Holthouse, somehow. He didn't give a damn about Viper or Chan anymore. All he wanted was to get back to his hotel room, get a good night's sleep and wake up to a perfectly normal morning.

"Where did you get that thing?" he asked, pointing at the Talisman in Jade's hand.

"Oh, this? We have several of these back where I'm coming from. We try to keep them secret because all the bad guys want them," Jade replied, then frowned in worry. Domisch knew what she had to be thinking, so he flashed what he hoped to be a reassuring smile at her.

"Don't worry. I don't want it. Just remember to use it if something comes at us," he said.

Jade's face spread into a smile. "You're pretty cool for an adult. Everyone else would have told me to stand back already," she said. "Hey, I still don't know your name."

Domisch guessed there was no reason to keep his identity a secret since the girl could do nothing with the information. "Just call me Domisch," he said.

"Okay."

There was silence. Domisch tried to listen and watch out for the thing the girl had seen. Every time he thought he heard something, he glanced at Jade, but the girl remained expressionless. He realised he was getting so nervous he was starting to imagine things. He simply wasn't made for this kind of situations.

Clank!

Both he and Jade turned to look at the ceiling. The sound had come from above them.

"Didn't you say it was going to come through the door?" Domisch asked.

* * *

Viper was good at hiding in the shadows. That was why none of the men rushing past noticed her, but she saw them all with their clenched jaws and nervous eyes. She frowned to herself. Something was wrong.

She didn't delude herself into thinking that she and Jackie were the cause of all this. One glance was enough to tell her that these men were professionals. It had to be something special if it had shaken them this bad.

We have to get out of here, she realised. Whatever was going on, it had created a diversion for them. Now she'd only have to find Jackie and then they'd take their leave while everyone was busy elsewhere.

She felt a pang of disappointment inside her when she thought of their failure. She had been hired to find out whether Holthouse had any criminal ties, but they hadn't done that well. Sure, they had discovered his link with Valmont, but they had no proof or other names. Her employers wouldn't get what they paid her for.

The last thought made her chuckle to herself. Who would have thought that an ex-thief would feel guilty about getting money for nothing?

Once every guard has rushed past her and the corridor had been silent for a minute, she dared to step into the light. She was on the last floor before the roof and had counted on that they would first search for her near the entrances in lower floors.

She only had a few minutes to spare, so she jogged to the elevator and pushed the button to call it up. Nothing happened, and she frowned to herself.

"What's going on?" she asked when she gave the button another push. The whole thing was dead. Perhaps they had cut off the power in order to trap her in one floor? If so, they were in for a nasty little surprise.

She ran back to the windows and lifted up one of the massive plastic plants that decorated the corridor. It went flying through the glass with a crash and fell to the darkness below. Viper then slipped her hand into her purse and pulled out a long rope. She never went anywhere without it. Then she tied it to the window frame, took a good hold of it and jumped outside.

The wind caught a hold of her in an instant; ruffling her long hair and making it almost impossible to see anything. She closed her eyes against the wind and started climbing down until she thought she was outside the floor where Jackie was. Viper reached back inside her purse and took out a small device used to cut glass. She used it to cut into the window until there was a large circle of holes in it. With a swift swing, she took aim and kicked the circle in, creating a horrible mess of broken glass in the process.

"Hope that was insured," she remarked as she carefully made her way through the shards. She was back in a familiar corridor now, and kept her ears and eyes open for Jackie or the enemy. She thought she could hear shouting somewhere, so she started creeping towards it. It was coming from Holthouse's office. She didn't dare to get too close, but crouched in shadows in order to listen.

"What do you mean someone has killed three of my best men?" Holthouse shouted. "Why haven't you put a stop to this?"

He was answered by a deep male voice that Viper didn't recognise. Probably one of the security guards. "We haven't seen anyone. Whoever our man is, he knows what he's doing. There are no traces anywhere."

"Then you haven't been looking well enough! What do you think I pay you for? I have a party going on and if any of the guests find out what's going on, I'll be ruined!" Holthouse snapped. There was a sharp sound and Viper guessed he had slammed his desk.

"But sir --"

"No excuses! A business partner of mine is somewhere in there with a maniac killer on the loose! Find him before someone important is killed!"

"I… Yes, sir!"

Viper pressed her back against the wall and watched from the shadows how a man, dressed in a security guard's attire, rushed out of the room and to the elevator. He couldn't get it to work either and spent some ten seconds staring at the buttons, as if expecting them to magically start working. Then he looked back, obviously contemplating whether he should go tell Holthouse about it. He decided against it, however, and ran past Viper, probably off to find the stairs.

He didn't notice my emergency entrance. What an idiot, Viper thought to herself. She decided to follow the man to see where he was going. It turned out that she had been right, and she soon found herself facing a set of iron stairs. She decided to go downstairs.

She managed to take only a few steps when someone landed right behind her. Without even thinking about it, she whirled around and aimed a sharp punch at the stranger's jaw. He dodged her with ease but didn't return the attack.

"Viper! It's me!" he said, and Viper stopped herself just in time from kicking him.

"Jackie? Are you okay?" she asked. She hadn't even realised how worried she had been. It had taken her a while to realise that Jackie hadn't followed her when she had escaped. While she knew that he was more than capable of taking care of himself, she was relieved to see that she hadn't left him to his death.

She almost felt like hugging him, actually.

"Yes, but we have to hurry! Valmont is after me!" Jackie said.

Viper spent one second thinking over the situation. "Okay, this is what we're going to do. We'll go up to the roof and use my rope to get us safely to the next building," she said.

"Right," Jackie said with a nod. "It's a pity we couldn't get any concrete proof against Holthouse," he said a bit later when they had retrieved the rope and were on their way to the roof.

"Yeah, but there will be another time. Besides, Holthouse seems to be in enough trouble without us. I heard something about someone killing his men," Viper said.

"Oh, how could I forget that?" Jackie said and slapped his forehead. "I saw it too! One of the guards came to the room with a puncture wound in his throat. There's something strange going on."

"Whatever it is, it's Holthouse's problem. No need for us to get involved," Viper said.

They reached the door that led to the roof. It wasn't locked, so they opened it and entered the chilly night breeze. It ruffled their hair and made them shiver, but neither of them had the time to think about that. Viper located the best place to tie her rope to and knelt down to do the work. The movement was such routine for her that she didn't even have to think about it anymore.

Jackie watched her work in silence. New York spread around them in a never-ending sea of bright lights and roads. They were so high that the hum of the traffic was almost inaudible under the wind and he barely paid attention to it.

Suddenly, he heard a slight scratch behind his back. Someone didn't know or care how to move without sound. Jackie turned around, already guessing what he would see.

"I knew it would be worth it to wait for you here. You always choose the hardest way to go," Valmont said.

* * *

A ventilation hatch fell to the floor with a clank. Domisch jumped to his feet and backed a few steps towards Jade -- for her protection or his own, he didn't know – without tearing his eyes from the dark hole that had opened to the ceiling.

"I guess the door is pretty much out of the question, then," Jade said. She didn't sound amused or self-certain, which was enough to convince Domisch that the situation wasn't just fun and games anymore.

He didn't know what exactly he was expecting to emerge from the vent, but he thought he had prepared himself for anything. However, when he saw the now living and walking wooden statue, his jaw dropped.

"Huh… what?" he stuttered. "How did that get here?"

"You know it?" Jade asked with a lifted brow.

"Yeah! I brought that thing as a present to our host, but it wasn't moving back then!" Domisch snapped.

He would have continued, but at that moment the statue (if it could be called that anymore) lifted its spear and charged at them. Jade dodged nimbly, but Domisch only managed to stagger away and fall the floor in a heap. He was unhurt but confused.

"Was that blood on the spear?" he asked out loud and brushed his hair away from his eyes.

"Looks like it!" Jade replied with wide eyes. The statue had turned its attention to her for the moment and was giving her a hard time at keeping away from the weapon. It was very small in size, but they all knew that one stab in a vital area would be the end of her.

She jumped to her side, the spear cutting into the fabric of her trousers and ripping a hole into it. The girl rolled away from the statue and got to her feet, panting but looking anything but scared. She had the kind of fire in her eyes that Domisch instantly realised that she was one of the thrill-seeking kind, always looking for the next great adventure.

That was fine with him, as long as he wasn't dragged along.

He looked at the fighting pair and came to the conclusion that they wouldn't be getting anywhere until something was done about the statue. One glance around in the bedroom showed him that there wasn't anything he could use as an effective weapon, so he decided that he had to improvise. He rushed to the bed, grabbed one of the big pillows and threw it at the statue. Since the enemy was so small in size, the pillow actually managed to knock it over.

"Come on!" Domisch urged, seeing this as their chance.

Jade didn't have to be told twice, and the two of them rushed out of the bedroom.

"We should go to the roof!" Jade said when they reached the stairs.

"Are you crazy? We'll be trapped there!" Domisch said.

"It's our best chance to get rid of the statue! If we can throw it off the roof, it will smash into pieces against the ground!" Jade reasoned.

Domisch didn't think it was really their job to get rid of the problem, but he decided to let the girl lead the way for now. After all, he had brought the statue to the building, so Holthouse might be a bit more understanding with him if he also got rid of it.

When they had run up a few floors, they could hear the statue following them. A distant clank somewhere below them, then another one a lot closer. The thing was moving fast. Just when Domisch thought it would reach them, they came to the door, pushed it open and entered the night.

Surprisingly enough, they weren't alone.

* * *

"Jade! What are you doing here?" uttered by Jackie was something that brought back memories for Valmont. For a moment, it felt like nothing had changed and they were back hunting the Talismans. If only he could make The Dark Hand that powerful again.

"Valmont! What the heck is going on here?" Domisch asked his friend.

Jade slammed the door shut behind them. "There's some magical thing coming after us!" she exclaimed. Then she turned to look at Domisch and frowned. "How do you know him?" she asked, pointing at Valmont.

"I like to call him a friend, though there are times when I think the feeling isn't mutual," Domisch replied.

Jade's eyes widened in betrayal and she pointed an accusing finger at the Swiss. "And I thought you were cool!" she snapped, then ran over to Jackie and Viper.

"Well, well, well," Valmont said. "It looks like almost everyone is here. I wonder what --"

"Didn't you hear what she just said? The statue you brought me is alive and hunting us!" Domisch snapped, turning to glare at Valmont in annoyance. The white-haired man sighed to himself. Part of him believed everything Domisch and Jade were saying. After all, it wasn't odd at all to get in strange adventures in this company. Another part of him, however, was desperate to get revenge on Jackie and he didn't want anything to interfere.

"I'll think about it later," he said in determination.

"What? Don't be an idiot! We're going to die!" Domisch panicked.

Valmont ignored him for the moment to see what Jackie and the rest were doing. From what he could see, Jade was telling her story to her uncle and was gesturing for him to fix the current magical problem for them. He smirked. All the better for him. While Jackie was distracted, disposing of him would be child's play.

A sudden noise turned his attention away from his enemy. Everyone turned around to see that the lock on the door had been smashed and the door was slowly opening.

"I told you it's coming!" Domisch snapped.

"Oh, do shut up!" Valmont threw right back.

The door had now opened fully and everyone could see the small statue that was standing there. It looked almost comical with its long spear but small size, almost like a toy. It stood there for a long time, watching them.

"What…?" Valmont muttered. Actually seeing what everyone was talking about was different than hearing about it. For a moment he forgot everything about Jackie and could only stare at the statue. It hadn't been moving at all when he had last seen it!

"Didn't we tell you so?" Domisch asked.

Valmont might have repeated his earlier snap, but the statue chose that moment to jump into action. It took a long leap at the closest person, who happened to be Domisch, and lifted its spear in mid-air. The Swiss barely had the time to dodge, but even then he only accomplished it by rolling over to his side and falling to the ground.

"What is that thing?" Valmont heard Viper ask in wonder.

"It looks like a Central-American statue, but I've never heard of anything like this," Jackie said.

"Then how about stopping it?" Valmont suggested.

The archaeologist turned to stare at him. "Why always me?"

Jade grabbed tugged his sleeve. "Jackie, Valmont's friend brought the statue here. It's all their fault," she said.

"What? I didn't ask it to attack anyone!" Valmont snapped.

Jackie rubbed his chin in thought. "It's possible that it's some kind of guardian statue or a weapon. Something must have triggered its magic and woken it up," he said.

"Well, isn't that pretty obvious at this point?" Domisch shouted. The statue hadn't stopped attacking him for one moment, jumping around and coming to dangerous distances from the man. Domisch, not being a fighter like Jackie or Valmont, was starting to look tired and he had almost completely ruined his suit.

"A little help here, please!" he snapped.

"We can't let that thing kill him," Jackie decided and Viper nodded in agreement. The two of them crept closer to the statue that didn't seem to notice them at all. Valmont watched the development in interest. He didn't want to see Domisch get killed, but he was nevertheless glad that this distraction had come up.

All of sudden, the statue whirled around and jumped at Viper, who had been closer to it. She raised her arms to protect her upper body and rolled out of the statue's way, jumped back to her feet in an instant and was able to deliver a kick before the statue had the time to react. The wooden menace flew to the floor with a clank and lost its hold on the spear.

Valmont happened to be closest to it and he bent down to pick up the small weapon. It was entirely made of wood and covered in the blood of the poor men the statue had already killed. Valmont lifted his eyes from the spear, only to realise that everyone, the statue included, was staring at him.

"Interesting," he said before he snapped the spear in two in his hands.

The only one who reacted was a statue. It opened its mouth wide, as if to let out a horrified scream, but no sound came out. It leapt right at Valmont and the surprised Brit didn't even have time to blink before the statue was clawing, biting and ripping his clothes apart.

"Let go of me!" he snapped and tried to yank the statue off, but its hold on him was like iron. The next thing he knew, the statue had found its way through his clothes to his skin and sank its teeth into his side. "Ow, that hurts! Let go!"

"Be still!" he heard Jackie's voice say and realised that the stupid archaeologist had decided he hadn't played the hero long enough for one day. Jackie grabbed a hold of the statue and tried to pull it off. Finally he succeeded, but the force of the action made him fall to the ground, dragging Valmont right along with him.

Even before he landed on top of the archaeologist, Valmont realised the advantages of the situation. With Jackie occupied with the statue, he quickly got up and aimed a swift kick at the man's side. Jackie yelped in pain and quickly rolled away to avoid any further attacks.

"I just helped you!" he objected.

"And you were a fool to do so," Valmont replied with a smirk.

"Actually, he has a point. Can't you just leave it at that, so that we can all go home?" Domisch asked.

Valmont stopped to glare at his friend in annoyance. "Stay out of this. You have no idea what I've gone through because of this man," he said.

"But it was all your fault in the first place!" Jackie said.

Unfortunately for him, Valmont wasn't about to take that. He grabbed Jackie by his jacket and pulled him up, then threw him back to the ground. All this while Jackie was holding the struggling statue in his hands, but he threw it to Viper when he fell again. Now that his hands were free, he jumped up, ready to face Valmont.

"This is really stupid and you know it," he said. Valmont's only reply was a punch that Jackie dodged, and then gave back some of his own. The two of them exchanged attacks and dodged most of them, neither one getting the upper hand for longer than some ten seconds.

Somehow they ended up at the edge of the roof, Jackie standing with his back to the endless fall. He glanced briefly behind his shoulder and shook his head to clear his thoughts. One wrong step and he'd be gone.

Valmont knew that as well and this was exactly the spot where he had wanted them.

"Be careful, Jackie!" Jade shouted from somewhere behind him.

"It does look quite bad, doesn't it? Surrender?" Valmont asked.

"Never," Jackie replied. Valmont was almost surprised to hear that. He had expected the rational Jackie to take the first chance of finishing the fight.

"So you do have some pride," he said. With that, he prepared to deliver one final kick that wound send Jackie falling to his doom. The archaeologist had been expecting it and quickly dove to the side, leaving Valmont to kick mere air.

The force of the action sent him tumbling forward and he fell over the edge before he even had the time to realise what had happened or to hear Jackie's panicked "No!" or Domisch's "Julian!" somewhere far above him.

* * *

"Julian!"

Domisch watched frozen how Valmont fell to the darkness. He rushed to the edge, desperately wishing for the impossible, that Valmont had somehow managed to hold on to something. He peered over the edge, but all he could see was darkness and distant lights on the ground where the body of his friend had to be lying.

Valmont was dead.

**To be continued…**


	9. Of Peaceful Agreements

I don't own JCA, no money is being made and this hasn't been approved by the copyright owners. This is just mere fanwork.

Thanks to everyone who reviewed. It was mostly because of you that I got this chapter done faster than usual.

**DEMONIC DREAMS **

**Chapter 9**

"Oh, my… I… I didn't mean to do that!" Jackie stuttered in shock as he stared at the spot where Valmont had just been.

Domisch turned around slowly and shot a murderous glare at the archaeologist. "Yeah, right!" he spat. "You practically pushed him down yourself!"

"I did not! It was an accident! I'd never kill anybody!" Jackie insisted, the pain obvious in his voice. He opened his mouth, as if to say something more, but realised that there was nothing for him to say. He covered his eyes with his hand and let out a sigh.

He flinched when he felt Viper's hand on his shoulder.

"You know it was an accident, right?" he asked quietly.

"Of course I do. There was nothing else you could have done. If you hadn't moved, you would have fallen yourself," Viper whispered soothingly. She tightened her grip on his shoulder and offered him an encouraging smile.

"Come on. Let's get out of here," she said.

Jackie nodded numbly and gestured for Jade to follow. For once she didn't have to be told twice, and she followed the two adults with wide, shocked eyes. At the door she stopped for a few seconds to glance back at Domisch.

"I'm sorry," she whispered, but he neither saw nor heard her.

Domisch waited for a few minutes to make sure he was completely alone. Then he kicked the ground in fury, lacking a better object to turn his anger to.

"Goddammit!" he snapped, and then stopped to run his fingers through his hair, which had become a mess during the adventure. How could this have happened? Everything had gone completely wrong, and now he was at loss at what to do. Going back to Holthouse was the most obvious solution, but that felt somehow distant and unreal at the moment.

Valmont had just died.

His mind refused to completely wrap around the fact and accept it. It had taken only few seconds, and he could have simply missed it if he had been looking in the wrong direction. His friend's life had ended so abruptly that it was almost impossible.

And why? Because Valmont had been so goddamn stupid and blinded by his thirst for revenge. He had acted like an amateur and it had cost him his life.

"Why did you have to be such an idiot?" he raged at the empty night, fully expecting no answer but wanting to let out his frustration and anger. That was why his heart almost stopped when a familiar voice replied to him.

"I really hope you aren't talking about me," Valmont said.

Domisch whirled around and found himself staring his late friend right to the face. A ghost! It had to be. His mouth was hanging wide open and he didn't even notice it, and all he could do was stare at Valmont. He looked exactly the same as a few minutes ago, and Domisch guessed that ghosts didn't come with blood spots these days.

"What… how?" he finally managed to stutter. "You're dead!"

Valmont smirked at him and crossed his arms on his chest. "Am I?" he asked. "Can you be sure it's really me?"

Yes, I can, Domisch thought. Nobody else could have that self-satisfied grin on their face, especially after something like this.

"So, you're alive?" he asked carefully, not certain if he should let himself have that little shred of hope. He had seen Valmont fall. There was no way anyone could have survived that and got back up that fast.

A sudden need to know took over him and he rushed forward, grabbing Valmont's shoulder. The Swiss let out a sigh of relief when his hand met solid flesh and bone, and he dared to smile.

"You're alive!" he exclaimed and his smile grew into a grin.

"Oh, please. You can't have missed me already," Valmont said and in return received a punch from Domisch. He hadn't been expecting it at all, so he flew on his back to the ground with a yelp of pain.

"That's for scaring the hell out of me and then mocking me!" Domisch snapped. Honestly, did Valmont enjoy torturing him like this? Was this all just a joke to him? And he had been stupid enough to think that they were friends, real friends.

Valmont sat up and caressed his jaw with a grimace on his face. Domisch was glad to see that smug grin washed away for a change. He was so sick of Valmont at the moment that all he wanted was to march away and leave the man alone, but there was one thing he had to know before that.

"How did you do it? We all saw you fall," he said.

"Ah, I have my ways," Valmont replied. He got up and brushed dust off his trousers, but upon seeing that Domisch wasn't in a playful mood, stopped and grew serious.

"You're not going to believe me even if I tell you," he said.

"Try me," Domisch urged.

Valmont spent a few seconds staring at his friend, obviously considering his next action. Then he shrugged like it didn't really matter to him and pulled something from under his shirt. It looked like a little stick made of metal, and Domisch frowned.

"What is that supposed to be?" he asked. What kind of stupid game was this?

"It's magic," Valmont said.

At first Domisch was going to snap at him that he was tired of jokes and games, but then he saw the serious expression on Valmont's face. The man wasn't playing with him this time. His first instinct was to declare Valmont insane, but then he remembered the strange statue (which Jackie and Viper had taken away with them). If that was true, who said other kind of magic couldn't exist as well?

"Show me," he said.

"I'll be more than happy to," Valmont said, daring to smile again.

Domisch blinked and during that time, Valmont had disappeared. The Swiss looked all around to find him, but he couldn't see his friend anywhere. Maybe he hadn't been there in the first place and he had just imagined the entire thing? Maybe he had wanted Valmont to be alive so badly that…

He turned slowly around and then received another shock when he saw Valmont standing there, right at the edge of the roof. He was holding the strange stick in his hands.

"Told you so," Valmont said.

"What the hell is that?" Domisch asked and pointed at the item.

"This is my free invitation to wherever I want to go," Valmont replied. "Imagine it, I can get anywhere with only one thought! What do you think that means for business?" His face fell and his expression turned into one of annoyance when Domisch didn't look one bit interested.

"You really have the nerve," his friend remarked. "I thought you were dead and all you can think about is money! Why didn't you tell me anything about that… thing?" He couldn't remember when he had last time felt that betrayed. Sure, he and Valmont hadn't been in touch in a while, but he had honestly thought the man still considered him a friend. Apparently not, if he could find his pain over supposedly losing him so amusing.

Valmont snorted. "Please, Domisch. You know just as well as I that something this powerful should remain a secret. You wouldn't have told me either," he said, slipping the stick back under his shirt.

"I might have," Domisch said.

Valmont's expression told him what the man thought of his words, but the Brit let the subject be for the time being. Instead, he brought a blank expression to his face and walked past Domisch towards the door.

"Now that everything has been taken care of, should we go back to Holthouse?" he suggested.

Domisch couldn't believe what he was hearing. Was that really the foremost thing in Valmont's mind at the moment?

"No, I don't think so," he said, not taking one step to follow the other man.

Valmont turned around to look at him with a questioning glare. "Care to repeat that?" he asked.

"You heard me. No matter how obvious I've made it, you don't seem to notice that I thought you were dead, and that I don't like it when those kinds of jokes are pulled on me! There is no way I'm doing any kind of business with you after this, and Holthouse won't either once I'm done talking with him," Domisch snapped. One part of him couldn't believe what he was saying, but the part that was in control was so utterly sick of Valmont's self-centred way of thinking that the words just poured out.

"What? You must be insane! Think of all the money we're going to lose!" Valmont said.

"Money again? That's it! I'm going right back to Switzerland. Don't call me before you've realised that there are things more important in life than money!" Domisch snapped. He strolled past Valmont and gave him a hard push on the way, just to get the last word.

He honestly hoped he wouldn't have to hear from the man in a while.

* * *

Valmont was left standing alone. He realised he may have gone a bit overboard with his behaviour and that it had just cost millions and millions to him. How could he have been so stupid? He felt like banging his head against a wall, but settled with clenching his fists until his nails dug into his hands.

That sentimental Domisch! Always ruining their business for them! Even when they had been young and inexperienced, Domisch had always been the one to feel guilty about something and cancel everything. One time, they had been in the middle of a very successful deal when Domisch had suddenly decided that it was immoral, even for them, to turn a local children's hospital into a casino.

"Well, it's not like I need him," he said to himself. He had built The Dark Hand once without his Swiss friend, and he could do it again. With these confident thoughts running through his head, he walked to the door, intending to leave the building and never come back.

The plan worked perfectly. Holthouse was probably having a talk with Domisch, so he didn't run into anyone undesirable on his way out. Even Chan and his merry little club were nowhere to be seen.

Thinking about that brought a smile back to Valmont's face. He wished he could have been there to see Jackie's reaction to his so called death. The poor archaeologist had to be dying with guilt at the very moment. How delicious! Valmont decided to wait at least a few months before revealing the truth. Let the man crawl for a while.

He wondered briefly about what was going to happen to the statue, but decided then that it was not his problem. Chan could deal with it as far as he was concerned.

One taxi trip later he was back at the hotel. Domisch hadn't returned yet, for which Valmont was more than happy. He didn't fancy meeting the man again in a while. In a few months or so, he'd probably call the Swiss again and suggest another deal, but first he had to let the man cool off a little.

The pain over losing the deal with Holthouse was the first and only thing in his mind when he climbed to bed and closed his eyes. He was actually glad to go to sleep so that he could think about something else than the lost money.

* * *

Bai Tsa didn't think a day had ever passed as slowly as this time. She had spent most of it sulking to herself, refusing to talk to any of her siblings. The other demons had taken turns at trying to cheer her up, but had eventually given up on her.

"She's in one of those moods again," Xiao Fung had said with a grimace and then hurried along to torture Shendu.

"Give her a few weeks and she'll be back to her usual self," was what Po Kong had said.

So, now she was lying alone on a rock and playing with a little stone she had found. It was hardly entertaining, but it helped her think. She had been going over her current problem in her head and reconsidered Tso Lan's words. The moon demon had made it clear that she couldn't have Valmont as her slave as long as they hadn't solved their problem.

She knew it was true, but she couldn't help it that the idea of being partners with a mortal filled her with disgust. There were very few humans she had ever considered equal, and all of them had been her lovers; strong warriors or sorcerers who had earned her respect. Valmont was nothing, so it was very difficult for her to think of him as anything but a slave.

Well, there was one thing in his favour; he was the most stubborn human the water demon had ever faced in her life. Every other mortal would have given up already and succumbed to her will, but Valmont didn't even seem to fear her that much. While this annoyed her a great deal, it also presented a challenge and she had to be impressed by the man's will.

She decided that she would give him a chance. If Valmont could prove that he was a capable mortal, she would reconsider her opinion of him. She might even let him live after all this was over and not punish him for his disrespectful behaviour.

The red sky around her started fading all of a sudden and she realised with a flinch that Valmont was falling asleep. Finally, she had been waiting for that the entire day. The demon closed her eyes to make the process easier for herself.

When she opened them again, she found herself back in the forest where they had been last time. One look at Valmont told her that he was very upset about something.

I wonder if he has trouble with women, she wondered. As far as she knew, that was the number one problem mortal men had in their lives. She felt the urge to make a remark about that, but remembered that she had promised to be somewhat civil from now on.

"Have you learnt anything new?" she asked instead.

"No. Have you?" Valmont asked. He wasn't looking straight at her and was obviously thinking about something completely unrelated. Being ignored like this made Bai Tsa frown to herself, which wasn't a beautiful sight even in her human form.

"Tso Lan can't tell me anything else, unless we find more clues. Why didn't you look for information about African mountains?" she asked.

Valmont sighed with an unhappy expression on his face. "I've been busy," he snapped.

Alright, he definitely has trouble with women, Bai Tsa decided. That, or he had completely screwed up something important. She felt her curiosity rise inside her, but decided to ask about it once Valmont was in a better mood. Otherwise they'd only end up having another argument.

"Then I guess we can only go on and pray that we find the right mountain on our own," she said.

Valmont turned to look at her with a questioning frown, obviously wondering why she wasn't already threatening to skin him alive. Even Bai Tsa was surprised at how easily she could control her temper if she wanted to. Of course, it helped that she thought of it as a game. She was merely giving Valmont a chance, and if he failed, she would make sure he was going to pay.

"What are you up to?" the man asked in suspicion.

Bai Tsa flashed a smile at him. "I've decided that we should behave around each other if we want to make it," she said, completely failing to mention that all this had been Valmont's idea in the first place.

Valmont realised that as well, as was obvious from the glare he shot at the demon. However, he didn't seem ready to fight about it when they had finally been able to come to a relatively peaceful agreement.

"I'm glad to hear that," he said much too sweetly for it to be sincere.

They decided to continue going to the direction they had chosen last time. Valmont was leading again, but Bai Tsa didn't mind it. She liked to keep an eye on every possible threat, and she considered Valmont to be one of them at the moment. Besides, she liked to stare at his back without him knowing about it. His tense muscles revealed that he was still in a horrible mood about something, and Bai Tsa enjoyed her little game of trying to guess what it was.

His woman probably left him, she decided. It was only natural, after all. This problem had to have had an effect on Valmont's normal life and he must have spent hours doing research about Africa and voodoo. Any woman would grow bored and feel ignored. The demon realised that this was one point for her. One aspect of Valmont's life was ruined already, and more would probably follow.

Her thoughts returned to what Khala had told them last time. Something about them not being ready. She rubbed her chin in thought. They probably weren't ready to face the challenge that had been placed in front of them, but she had no idea what kind of qualities they needed for that. From what she had seen, Valmont could fight, and she wasn't a weakling either, with or without her demonic powers. It meant that they needed something else than brute force, but she had no idea what it could be.

"Remember what Khala said last time?" she asked.

"Yes. What about it?" Valmont asked, glancing at her over his shoulder.

Isn't that obvious, Bai Tsa wanted to snap. "Have you thought about what he might have meant?" she asked. It seemed like Valmont was ready to play nice but not co-operate on any level. The water demon could only frown at that. Valmont had got exactly what he had wanted and now he was acting like a spoiled child.

"As I said earlier, I have been busy," the Brit said.

That man needs a good throttle, Bai Tsa thought. Not quite managing to keep the rising anger from her voice, she said, "And may I ask what exactly was so important that you forgot everything about our situation?"

"No, you may not. It's none of your business," Valmont said.

"Listen, mortal --!"

"Oh, I thought you said something about behaving and working together. Sorry, my mistake," Valmont remarked and Bai Tsa realised what he was doing. Whether intentionally or not, he was trying to lure her into another argument so that he could let out his frustration about whatever had gone wrong in the real world.

She smirked to herself. Well, if the mortal fool wanted to pick a fight, who was she to turn away from a bit of fun? Besides, once they got his little problem solved, they might actually get back to solving this puzzle.

"So, what did you do to get your woman dump you?" she asked. "Forgot her birthday or are you just really lousy in bed?"

Valmont whirled around so fast that Bai Tsa almost missed the movement. His face was twisted into confusion and shock, like he knew absolutely nothing about what was going on. The corner of his left eye twitched a little.

"Excuse me?" he blurted out.

Bai Tsa placed her hands on her hips and tilted her head playfully. "Don't play with me. One look at you tells me that something is bothering you, and what else could it be but that? I advice you to forget your woman problem for the time being and concentrate on what is important. When you wake up, go and make peace with her if you miss her so much that it affects your behaviour," she said.

On a whim, she added, "If you want, I can give you some great tips about soothing angry women."

Valmont looked like his jaw was about to fall to the ground and his eyes were wide as saucers. There was a slight blush on his cheeks, but Bai Tsa couldn't tell whether it was because of his anger or her suggestion.

"What?" he asked. "I don't have trouble with women!"

Bai Tsa rolled her eyes. "Oh, please. You're acting like a man who just lost something he loves the most in the world," she said. Hmm, maybe it's not a woman, she realised then and shot a critical glance at Valmont. Maybe he preferred men?

"Who are you to make inquiries about my personal life? None of this is your business!" Valmont snapped angrily.

Now you just made it my business, the water demon thought. The harder Valmont tried to hide his secret, the more she wanted to know it. With luck, it might be something really juicy or embarrassing that she could use against him later.

"It is if it makes you act like a fool! If Khala attacked us now, you wouldn't stand a chance against him," she insisted.

"Look who's talking," Valmont snorted, reminding Bai Tsa of her several failures against the spirit. She realised that the Brit had just earned one point in their debate, and that did nothing to improve her mood.

She didn't want to threaten him with violence this time. It was starting to get repetitive and she didn't want to make him think that she was an idiot who couldn't win a real argument. She twisted her lips in thought for a moment.

"So, I take it you don't have women at all?" she asked, referring back to what Valmont had said earlier. "With your looks, that's a bit surprising. I guess you really _are_ lousy in bed!"

"I'm not having this conversation with a demon! Leave me alone!" Valmont snapped and turned around, determined to leave it at that and get going. Bai Tsa watched him go for a while before she took her real form. It was no use running after him; she would just trip again. Better slither and intimidate him some more.

"Where are you going? I wasn't finished with you yet," she hissed when she reached him. Now that she was considerably larger than him, she felt like she had the upper hand again.

"What is wrong with you? First you treated me like dirt, now you're interested in my personal life! For your information, I'm just in a really bad mood, and it has nothing to do with any of the things you suggested!" Valmont said.

"Then what is it?"

"Why do you even care?"

"Maybe I'm just curious," Bai Tsa said. In truth, she realised that this game was getting old fast and they really had more important things to do with their limited time. Still, she couldn't give up now that she had started if she didn't want to lose her face.

"Well, I'm curious about several things as well, but that doesn't mean I need to ask them," Valmont said.

"Curious about what?"

Valmont's silence was enough for Bai Tsa. She smirked and slithered around the man. "Did Shendu reveal some family secrets to you? Did you see some of his memories when he was in your body?" she asked. Still no reply from Valmont, and Bai Tsa snorted.

"Alright," she said. "I'll tell you what you want to know and you'll tell me what's wrong with you," she suggested.

"I still fail to understand why this is important."

"Because we've already wasted a long time arguing here, and I won't let it be for nothing!"

Valmont thought it over for a while and sighed in defeat. "There really is no way out of this, is there?" he asked.

"Hardly," Bai Tsa said.

The man crossed his hands on his chest and lifted his chin. "Fine, then. Who is Ming Ming?"

"Ming Ming?" Bai Tsa repeated in surprise. When was the last time she had heard that name? It had to be at least a few thousand years, and she had almost entirely forgotten about it. Being reminded of the childish half-demon brought a sudden smile to her face and she felt a warm laugh bubbling inside her.

"She was Shendu's favourite concubine, a frail little creature and the result of an affair some Korean demon had with a Chinese woman. Why do you ask?" she said. The expression that appeared on Valmont's face after her words told her exactly what kind of thoughts Shendu had let wander free while possessing the man.

"She was a lizard with long limbs? And I was hoping those things they did weren't real…" Valmont muttered, turning a slight shade of green in the face.

Bai Tsa couldn't help it that she felt a stab of jealousy in her heart. She had no clear memories of any of her past lovers, and hearing that Shendu had somehow managed to hold on to memories reminded her of how much time had passed and how much they had lost during their imprisonment. The water demon quickly pushed this line of thought away because she was afraid her face might betray her. There was no need for Valmont to know.

She chuckled in what she thought was a menacing way. "And now it is your turn to tell me what happened to you," she urged. She hoped it was something juicy. Wasting this long a time for something trivial would only anger her and she knew she wouldn't be able to keep her promise of not trying to hurt Valmont if that happened.

Valmont shot a dark glare at her direction. "My so called friend abandoned me, and I lost an enormous amount of money because of that," he said and turned to look away in anger, maybe also in humiliation.

So, it wasn't a love problem after all. Bai Tsa felt a little disappointed as she had been looking forward to tormenting Valmont about that later. However, losing a friend was almost as bad, so she guessed she had just been handed a consolation prize.

"And now you're crying rivers because of a lost friendship?" she guessed with a small smile and a shake of her head. Mortals… So predictable and boring. Valmont really was no different from the rest of the pathetic worms.

Valmont surprised her by letting out a snort. "Friends come and go. It's the money I'm mad about," he said.

The water demon blinked in confusion. "You don't care about your friend at all?" she questioned.

"Why should I? I lost the money because of him, and I have no tolerance for people who betray me or are of no use," Valmont said, turning to face her with a defiant expression. It was obvious from the way he looked at her that he was expecting her to continue mocking him.

Bai Tsa found herself smiling instead. "That is the first sensible thing I have heard you say. I like that attitude," she said.

"Did you just congratulate me?" Valmont asked as his brows shot up high in surprise.

"Take it as you wish," Bai Tsa replied. The real reason behind Valmont's foul mood had made her feel a bit better about their mission. She was working with someone who had their priorities straight, and it was doubtful that she would have to suffer through too many hypocritical rants about her evil ways. Valmont was starting to look like a villain in her eyes, and she couldn't deny it that she liked that.

She took her human form again to be able to walk. With that solved, she took a long look at their surroundings. The forest around them was thicker than ever before, but the trees were small and resembled dry bushes rather than the mighty, green pillars she had expected. She guessed they were still too close to the savannah, and that it would take long before they reached any rainforests.

That made her frown. The dry sand and crunching grass under her feet were a cruel reminder of the lack of water, and the branches of the trees got caught in her hair and snapped off as she passed under them. Their every step raised up little clouds of dust that tickled their throats and made them thirsty.

"Where was that river again?" she wondered out loud. Right now, she would have even faced the hippo in order to be one with her element again.

"Have you noticed that we haven't seen any of those animals in a while?" Valmont asked.

"Of course I have! Do you think I'm stupid?" Bai Tsa snapped. She mentally scolded herself for that and continued, "Anyway, they disappeared a little before we first saw Khala. Do you think there's a connection?"

Valmont pondered it for a while. Bai Tsa didn't know if she was only imagining it, but she thought he looked a lot calmer now that he had revealed his so called big secret. Their argument had probably helped him release some of his frustration.

"It's possible that he can control them somehow, and that he decided to hold them back and keep us for himself," Valmont finally said.

"Or even the animals are afraid of him and are don't want to get close to us now that he's near," the water demon countered. She didn't know which possibility she preferred, but she was happy as long as the animals were not in sight. Getting bitten -- or worse -- was an experience she didn't want to repeat.

When they had first met the creatures, she had sensed that they weren't demons. That only left the possibility that they had to be spirits, just like Khala, but obviously of lesser rank. If they were Khala's servants, they had probably been banished along with their master.

"How do we even know that we're going to the right direction?" Valmont asked suddenly, and they both stopped.

The trees weren't very tall, but they still managed to stop both of them from seeing what was in the horizon. It was possible that the mountain they were looking for was very close, but they might go to the opposite direction because they couldn't see it.

"We don't," Bai Tsa said. "Even if I take my true form, I won't be tall enough to see beyond the trees."

"Then I'll climb one," Valmont decided. He grabbed a branch in the nearest tree and tried to use it to lift himself up, but the dry wood snapped under his weight and sent him falling to the ground.

Bai Tsa shook her head to herself. How pathetic.

"That is not going to work. You're too heavy," she said.

"Then what do you propose?" Valmont asked, getting up and brushing sand off his clothes.

"I could take my true form and you could stand on my shoulders," the water demon suggested.

"What?" That's insane!" Valmont snapped.

"No, it's not. Carrying you is not a task at all," Bai Tsa said innocently, though she knew why Valmont was being so difficult. Getting that close to her had to fill the human with disgust, and she found the man's horrified expression quite amusing.

"But I --" Valmont started, stopping in mid-sentence when the water demon took her real form and grew a few times taller than him.

"Stop acting like a child!" Bai Tsa snapped. One of her tentacles shot out to grab Valmont, much like when she had done right after her release in Rome. With one swift movement, she had lifted the man on her shoulders.

"Can you see anything?" she asked.

"Uh… I'm afraid not," Valmont replied. He felt tense and refused to touch the demon's scales with his hands, so Bai Tsa had to support him with her tentacles if she didn't want him to fall. His silliness was starting to get on her nerves.

"Then don't just sit there! Stand up!" she snapped.

Valmont hesitated for a moment, then realised that the demon was giving him no choice. He placed a shaky hand on Bai Tsa's shoulder, and the demon could feel the shudder that went through the man.

"Get a hold of yourself. I'm not that disgusting," she retorted.

Valmont didn't say anything to that, but it seemed like the demon's words had pounded some sense into him. He stood up with little difficulty, but remaining there was an entirely different matter.

"Hold still!" he snapped as he tried to keep his position with nothing to lean on.

"I am! It's you and your lousy sense of balance!" Bai Tsa snapped right back. She had seen Valmont fight before, so she had expected him to be able to stand still long enough to see where they were going. With a disgusted sigh, she wrapped her tentacles around the man's legs to help him.

"What are you doing?" Valmont asked at once with slight panic in his voice. To his credit, he didn't try to struggle free, which would have sent them both falling to the ground.

"Making sure you don't ruin everything! Now, can you see anything?"

There was a moment of silence when Valmont scanned the area. "I think I can see something in that direction," he said finally. "It might be a mountain, but it's far away. It will take at least a few days before we reach it."

"At least we're on the right track," Bai Tsa said. She unwrapped her tentacles around Valmont, and the man fell down, surprised by the sudden lack of support.

"Why did you have to do that?" he asked as he picked himself up from the ground. He rubbed his side and winced in obvious pain, but apparently it hadn't been enough to wake him up.

"First you hated the idea of me touching you, and then when I let go, you don't like that either. You should be clearer with what you want," Bai Tsa remarked.

"And you should ask before you act," Valmont muttered.

The scenery started fading all of a sudden, and they both realised that Valmont was waking up.

"You're a light sleeper, you know that?" Bai Tsa asked before they were returned to their respective worlds, but she couldn't be sure if he even heard her.

* * *

Earlier in San Francisco, the Enforcers and Hak Foo were holding a meeting in the latter's place. Chow and Finn were sitting sprawled on a very cheap sofa while Ratso and Hak Foo occupied the only chairs in the apartment.

"You know, Hak, I don't get this. You got paid just as much as we did, and you still live in this dump," Finn said.

"Yeah, why don't you buy something nice?" Chow added. He was desperately trying to find a good position on the sofa, but it was turning out to be an impossible task, especially with Finn taking half of the space.

"Needless luxury breaks a warrior's spirit," Hak Foo growled as a reply. His face was like stone and he was doing his best at not looking for too long at any of the other men. Only the grimmer than usual frown on his face revealed that he didn't like having anyone else in his place.

"Yeah, right," Finn snorted.

"I actually saw something like that on TV once," Ratso remarked.

Hak Foo didn't know why that man in particular always managed to say the stupidest things. It wasn't that Ratso was an idiot (far from it, and the warrior actually thought he was the most sensible one of the trio) but he had the kind of childish naivety in him that should have died decades ago.

"Didn't we have something important to talk about?" he chose to remind the rest.

That reminded everyone of their current problem. It was obvious that something odd was going on at the museum, and they were all curious about what it could be. However, they were also intelligent enough to realise that it wouldn't be wise to stick their noses into something that wasn't their business.

On the other hand, they couldn't just ignore the mystery after what they had seen and heard. Witte had seen Hak Foo and Ratso, and while the man wasn't talking now, he might in the future. That alone was a reason enough to find out what was going on, but there was also the matter of the statues. Something was not right with them, and that could mean trouble for Valmont's business trip in New York.

"Do you think Witte might reveal something more if you talk to him?" Ratso asked and turned to look at Finn.

"Nah, I don't think so. He's too afraid of someone or something," the Irishman replied.

"Well, in that case, there is very little what we can do. He's our only link to this case," Chow said.

"We could silence him," Finn pointed out.

Hak Foo snorted. "He has already told his boss of what he saw. Killing him won't stop them from connecting us to the burglary," he said, nodding to Ratso's direction. Not to mention that killing a pathetic weakling like Witte wasn't a job worthy of him, nor very honourable, even in this situation.

Ratso leaned back on the chair and crossed his arms behind his head. "In that case all we can do is wait until they decide what to do with that info," he said.

That wasn't an option to Hak Foo's liking either. He hated sitting around and doing nothing when he should have been out there solving the problem.

He only growled in response and was about to tell the others to leave before he kicked them out, but then Finn's cell phone started ringing.

"Stayin' alive?" Chow commented on the ringtone.

"Yeah?" Finn said to the phone, ignoring Chow altogether. His face grew more and more serious with every moment until he finally hung up.

"What?" Ratso asked.

"It was Ashley from the office. She said that Witte called to the number I gave him and asked me to contact him at once. It looks like something's come up," Finn said.

**To be continued…**

I know that the Enforcers didn't do much in this chapter, but they will be the stars of the next one! That's a promise.


	10. The Beginning of Something

I don't own JCA, no money is being made and so on.

Sorry about the massive delay. I completely lost my inspiration for a while.

I also apologize for breaking my promise. I know I said this chapter would be about the Enforcers, but as I was writing it, I realised that I have ignored the purpose of this story for too long. If I ever want this to reach its conclusion, I need to start concentrating on Valmont and Bai Tsa. The lovable criminals _will _have their moments to shine, but not in the extent that I originally planned.

Special thanks to **Winkaku** for reviewing one of my other stories and reminding me of something that's important to this one as well.

**DEMONIC DREAMS**

**Chapter 10**

They parked their car across the street from Witte's house. Finn turned back to look at the others with a grim face.

"Okay, this is what we'll do. I'll go inside and ask him what this is all about," he said.

"What about us?" Chow asked. He looked anything but pleased about letting Finn do all the work and take all the risks.

"Stay here. He knows who Ratso and Hak Foo are, and he might remember you from the restaurant. I'm the only one who can talk to him without blowing our cover. I'll be back soon, and then we'll decide what we'll do about this," the Irishman replied.

He got out of the car and entered the building where Witte lived. He had absolutely no idea what the man might want to talk about, but it had to have something to do with the shady statue business. The thought that Valmont had taken one of them with him made him feel uneasy in his gut, but he quickly assured himself that their boss knew how to take care of himself – unless money was involved. A chance of swimming in cash always made Valmont make irrational decisions.

Finn knocked three times on the door to Witte's apartment and it was opened immediately after. Witte's pale face peered at him. The man was sweating bullets.

"Quick! Get inside before someone sees you!" he hissed and pulled Finn in.

"So, what's going on?" Finn asked, brushing the sleeve of his jacket with a frown. Nobody touched his jacket but him.

Witte drew a shaky breath and collapsed on his armchair. "I can't take it anymore. I have to tell this to someone," he muttered and adjusted his glasses.

"Right. You can tell me," Finn urged. He took a seat as well.

"I don't know why, but I feel like I can trust you. You're private investigator, right? You work for the good guys, so you must help me," Witte said.

"Yeah. Me and the cops, we go a long way back," Finn said with a smirk.

"So, you'll help me?"

Finn frowned in annoyance. "Yeah, just tell me what's going on. I don't have all day." The way Witte was fiddling with his fingers, glancing around with wild eyes and loosening his collar made it look like the man was about to have a mental breakdown, and the Irishman didn't want to be there to witness it. Chow was bad enough sometimes, but this was going too far.

"Oh, okay. Of course…"

"The statues?" Finn urged.

"Right. You must realise that I'm not the, uh, brain behind this thing," Witte started, and Finn could barely keep himself from rolling his eyes.

"Oh, really?" he muttered.

"The museum curator, Mr. Schafer, is the one in charge. He told me to arrange the purchase of the statues in Nicaragua. The exhibition we're arranging is only an excuse to get the statues into the country, and after the display Schafer is planning to sell them," Witte explained, miraculously managing to do it without stuttering.

Finn felt both disappointed and relieved. "That's it? Illegal dealing of old junk?" he asked.

"No! I think there's more. Schafer didn't tell me much, but there has to be something special about the statues. He says they're just regular statues and that there are thousands of them all around Central America," Witte said.

"But as an expert you realised they're a lot rarer than that?" Finn guessed.

"Well, no. They're perfectly ordinary." Witte blushed a deep shade of red, realising how pathetic he was sounding. He seemed to sink deeper into his chair.

"So, what's the problem?" Finn asked. If this really was all about some petty art dealing, the others would die laughing at him. They'd probably tell Valmont, too, and the Brit would take delicious delight in handing him one of his witty remarks. Finn almost wished that something bigger was going on so that he could avoid all that.

"Well…" Witte started. Talking had eased his nervousness a little, and now that he wasn't sweating or shaking that much, he looked like a heart attack might be avoided. "You're not going to believe me, but I think the statues are cursed."

Finn immediately grew interested in that. "Cursed?" he repeated.

"Yes, the design of the statues is very similar to pictures of Buluc Chabtan, a terrible Mayan god of war to whom the ancient Mayas gave human sacrifices to quench his thirst. I… I got a funny feeling from those statues. Like they were watching me and waiting for something," Witte said.

"Well, that's all fine and dandy, Mr. Witte, but I can't do anything about that. I was hired to find out more about the stolen statue, so I'm not interested in your curator's little side business," Finn said.

He got up and prepared to leave, already trying to come up with something intelligent to tell his friends. He almost got to the door before Witte grabbed his sleeve and stopped him.

"Please! What should I do? I feel horrible for what I've done! Bringing those statues into the country and selling them is wrong!" he said.

Finn reached for the door and opened it. Before stepping out he turned to look back at Witte one more time. "If you're feeling that guilty, you could always go to the cops," he advised, biting back a chuckle. Such great tips from a criminal!

Witte sighed and ran his fingers through his black hair. "I can't do that. Schafer would have me killed. You don't know what he's like," he said.

"You should have thought of that before you decided to join him in his plot. What did he promise you to lure you in?" Finn asked.

Witte slipped his hand into his pocket and took out a folded photo. He showed it to Finn, and the Irishman lifted a brow at the blonde woman in the picture. She was a little chubby, but her warm smile made her look homey and prettier than most women he knew. She was probably a better cook to boost, too.

"That's Becky. We're getting married in two months, but we don't have that much money. Schafer promised me an amount that would more than help us get started," Witte said.

"Huh," Finn said, handing back the picture. "Sorry, I can't help you. I don't even know what you're expecting of me. If Schafer is caught, the trail is going to lead to you as well. For the sake of your fiancée, the best you can do is keep quiet and take the money."

"But …" Witte attempted and took a step forward to stop him, but Finn slipped through the door.

"Have a nice day, Mr. Witte."

Once outside, he let out a frustrated sigh. Somehow, he had been expecting more out of this. His hunch had told him that there was something shady about this statue business, but if all it was about was illegal art dealing… Well, he couldn't be bothered with that.

He got back to his friends and noticed that Ratso was on the phone with someone.

"Hold on, he's back," Ratso said to the person at the other end and handed the phone to Finn.

"Who's this?" he asked with a lifted brow.

"Valmont. He wants to know what we've been up to," Ratso said, and Finn groaned to himself. Great. Just what he needed to lift his mood.

"Yo, Big V! What's up?" he said to the phone.

"I'm coming back, so I want to make sure everything is in order there," Valmont said. Finn thought the Brit sounded a little tired and wary, so he guessed everything hadn't gone according to plan. If the past had taught him anything, Valmont would be in a vicious mood when he got back.

"Hey, you know us!" he chuckled.

"Unfortunately," Valmont muttered. "So, I take it that you three fools haven't managed to stir any trouble this time around?"

"Yeah, everything's cool. Even Chan hasn't shown up," Finn said. He could swear he heard a low growl from Valmont's end at this point. "Hey, you don't sound too good, Big V. Found some trouble over there?"

"Don't even get me started," Valmont said, and Finn knew not to ask. Out of curiosity, he decided to ask about the statue Valmont had taken to New York and make sure there was nothing fishy about it.

Valmont's reaction to that was unlike anything Finn had been expecting.

"I don't want to hear you mention that wretched statue ever again! It was a menace!" the Brit snapped, making Finn glad that there were currently thousands of miles between them.

"So, does that mean that we should be worried if someone over here claimed they were magical and that someone else has hundreds of them and is probably going to use them in some evil plot of his?" he asked.

There was a long silence during which Finn wondered if Valmont had finally had a stroke.

"I don't care what you have to do or how you do it, but when I get back to San Francisco there had better not be a single one of those things left! Understand?" his boss's voice finally said. Then there was a click and the line went dead before Finn could even ask what this was all about.

He sighed to himself and threw the cell phone back to Ratso.

"Hey, where are you going?" Chow asked as Finn opened the door and stepped out of the car.

"Back to Witte's place. Valmont just ordered us to destroy all the statues, for whatever reason," the other man replied.

He was still deep in thought when he came back to Witte's door. Valmont hadn't given any details, yes, but Finn had a strong feeling in his gut that things were far more serious than he had thought only a few minutes ago. Witte had mentioned the possibility of magic, and that was really one of the few things in the world to give Valmont a good shake. A serious loss of money was another thing, of course, but Finn reckoned the chances of encountering both in one night were pretty slim.

"Hey, Witte?" he called out.

The door opened at once and a bewildered Witte peered at him.

"You came back," he stated. "Why?"

Finn shrugged and let himself inside, pushing past the slim man.

"My employer decided that there must be more to the statue business. Tell me where they are now, and I will take care of them for you," he said.

Witte's face brightened with a relieved smile. "Really? You will? Thank you, thank you!" He looked ready to cry against Finn's shoulder, so the Irishman decided to go straight to the point.

"Are they still at the warehouse?" he asked.

"Oh, yes! Mr. Schafer didn't want to attract any attention, so he decided to keep them there. The security might be tighter, though," Witte said. He shrugged helplessly. "I'm not sure. I haven't been there since the night of the robbery."

"Are you worried about the fate of that one statue?" Finn asked.

"Not really. Even if my hunch is right and they are magic, some random no-good crook couldn't possibly know how to use it," Witte replied.

"Some crooks can be pretty clever," Finn pointed out with a frown, making Witte chuckle and smile for the first time during their meeting.

"Maybe, but they hardly have degrees, do they?" he asked.

Finn decided to let the subject be, though he had just decided that he liked Witte even less than before. Being a coward and a snobby elitist at the same time was never a good combination in a man.

"Right. I'll do something about this mess tonight, and you'll sit tight here and not get involved, okay?" he said.

"Of course. Did I remember to thank you? Because if I didn't --" Witte started, but Finn had had enough of the man. He swiftly excused himself and returned to his friends in the car.

"So, now what?" Ratso asked.

Finn sighed and ran his fingers through his hair, leaning back against the seat. "Valmont wants us to get rid of every single one of those statues before he gets here. I guess something went spectacularly wrong in New York."

"At least he can't blame us for it this time," Chow said.

"Who knows? If it's because of the statue, he just might," Finn said.

"Our mission?" Hak Foo asked, reminding the other three of what was important at the moment.

"Oh yeah. Witte said that the head honcho at the museum is still keeping the statues in that same warehouse. As far as I'm concerned, all we have to do is burn the thing to the ground," Finn said.

"Subtle," Chow muttered.

While they had been talking, Finn had started the engine and was driving back to Hak Foo's apartment. Much to the warrior's annoyance, the three Enforcers had decided that it was to be their official HQ for this particular adventure, and they did all of their brainstorming there. Finn liked to think it was because Hak Foo's apartment was the least personal of their places.

"But effective. It's a lot easier than chopping them to bits or something," Ratso said.

"What about the other warehouses? What if something else catches on fire?" Chow asked.

"Since when do we care about that?" Finn asked as he turned left from a corner, not turning his eyes from the road.

"Eh, I guess you're right. There's nothing important there anyway," Chow said with a shrug.

* * *

Setting fire on the warehouse was easy, and the flames looked almost ecstatic to devour the ancient wooden statues. Schafer's security guards were running around in panic, someone had called the cops and the fire department was busy trying to extinguish the fire, but with little success.

"Maybe we should get out of here before someone sees us," Ratso said. The four of them were standing behind a pile of old crates, watching the mayhem that was taking place.

Hak Foo took a deep breath and sighed in satisfaction. "Ah, the smell of victory!" he declared.

"Ugh, if victory smells like this, I'd rather skip it," Chow muttered, waving his hand in front of his nose.

"Yeah, what is this? It smells like roasted old fish," Finn agreed.

"Uh, guys?" Ratso asked all of a sudden. "Don't we know that building over there?" He pointed to a near-by warehouse that had also caught fire and was going down in flames. Since it was abandoned and not located next to anything important that wasn't already burning, nobody was putting much effort into saving it.

"It's the Helm's Fish Cannery!" Hak Foo realised.

"Nothing important around here, huh?" Chow said dryly and gave Finn a long look over his glasses.

"Erm, oops?" the Irishman said with a sheepish grin and ran his fingers through his hair. "I hope Big V had nothing important there."

The others could only nod and watch how their old hideout burned to the ground.

* * *

Valmont had known that leaning back on his seat and closing his eyes during the long flight from New York to San Francisco wouldn't result in relaxing dreams, but he didn't exactly have that many options. It was therefore with a defeated sigh that he glanced at the water demon and their surroundings. Well, at least last time hadn't been entirely too unpleasant.

"I take it you still haven't done any of your research?" Bai Tsa asked.

"I'm on a plane, so it's not like I can just go to a library. I'll get back to it once I reach home," Valmont said.

Bai Tsa frowned in sudden confusion. "Why are you travelling in the countryside? I thought you liked cities," she said.

"What are you talking about?" Now it was Valmont's turn not to know what the other was thinking. Then realisation hit him, and he chuckled. "No, not a plain. It's hard to explain to someone as ancient as you."

The water demon only blinked, so Valmont quickly told her he would explain it later and changed the subject. They briefly discussed what Bai Tsa had found out, which was nothing, and decided to continue towards the mountain they had spotted last time.

"I've been thinking," Bai Tsa said eventually.

"Yes?" Valmont asked.

"If Khala really is holding back to get the most out of the hunt, he's not doing that well. We aren't exactly panicking or running away, so where's the fun for him? It looks like he's just watching us," the demon pointed out.

That made sense in Valmont's mind, but he wasn't sure if it really was a problem. As far as he was concerned, Khala was just as insane as every other magical being he had encountered in his life, so he wasn't too interested in trying to understand what his motives were.

"In fact, he seems oddly determined to see us succeed," Bai Tsa continued before Valmont had a chance to say anything.

"Yes, he hasn't put that much effort into stopping us," he had to admit reluctantly. Khala had always given up easily when they had fought him, and it was starting to feel like he was simply pushing them somewhere. "But why would he want that?"

Bai Tsa pursed her lips in thought. She hadn't bothered to take her real form this time, so she looked harmless enough. If Valmont had liked the kind of women who could think for themselves, he might have thought the demon looked almost pretty at that moment.

"He obviously knows something we don't," Bai Tsa said, referring back to what Khala had said about the two of them not being ready. "It's possible he has more to gain from us than we thought."

"And in that case, we have no way of knowing if he's just using us to achieve his goal, whatever it is," Valmont said.

"Freedom," Bai Tsa said in a heartbeat, no doubt evident in her voice.

"Hm?"

"Isn't it obvious? What else could he want but to return to the real world? Take it from me, once you've been trapped in one place for thousands of years, all you want is to get out, no matter the price," the demon said. Her eyes became unfocused for a second, and Valmont remembered what her fate was. He hadn't even realised he had already forgotten about the Netherworld.

"Maybe you wouldn't be having that problem if you hadn't been such a bloodthirsty murderer in the past," he said, suddenly feeling like he had to remind himself of all the things the demon had done. He'd be damned if he ever actually pitied her!

Bai Tsa growled under her breath, and her features twisted into sudden rage. She wasn't pretty at all anymore. "I'll be sure to throw that back at you when you get imprisoned for life for your crimes," the demon spat at him.

She considered something for a moment, and then added sulkily, "Besides, I never killed more than just a few thousand. That's little for a demon in my position. It was Shendu and Hsi Wu who took part in most of the massacres, and the rest of us got stuck with them because we're family."

Valmont could only stare with wide eyes. "You call a few thousand a small amount?" he exclaimed. While it was nothing compared to some atrocities humans had committed throughout history, it was a huge body count for one person, demon or not.

"Different times, different methods. Listen, I don't really care about your opinion about me, so I don't have to justify my actions to someone like you!"

The Brit only rolled his eyes at that. There they were again. It occurred to him that no matter what he did, Bai Tsa would probably never see him as anything but a pathetic waste of life who didn't deserve a second of her time. Normally it wouldn't bother him because his opinion of her wasn't that good either, but since he was forced to spend an undetermined amount of time in her company, he was starting to get annoyed at being constantly put down.

"Alright," he admitted with an uncharacteristic sigh. "I don't want to know what or why you did in the past, so let's just leave it at that. We were working well together a moment ago, and ruining it because of one argument is hardly productive, is it?"

Besides, added a small voice in his head, the people who have died or had their lives ruined because of The Dark Hand are much more numerous than a few thousand. He didn't care about them, so why should he care about people who had died ages before he had been born? It was silly.

Bai Tsa only grunted. "So, back to reluctant peace that won't last?" she asked.

"Right," Valmont said.

They continued their journey in silence. Valmont turned his thoughts to his Enforcers and what they had said about the statues. Finn had sounded like there were a lot more of them, and he almost shuddered at the thought. Just one had caused him more trouble and financial damage than he dared to count, so an entire army…

Well, he guessed Jackie would take care of that problem. Whether he wanted it or not, the archaeologist was always getting caught up in magical problems that didn't really have anything to do with him in the first place.

Just like me, Valmont thought grumpily to himself.

"So, tell me about your life," Bai Tsa said suddenly, disrupting Valmont's trail of thoughts.

"My life?" he repeated in confusion. What had got to the demon now? He couldn't think of a single good reason to why she might be interested since she wasn't the kind of person to start idle chit chat.

"Yes. Shendu has told me that you used to be some kind of crime lord and how easy it was to destroy your little empire, but that's all I know," Bai Tsa said.

Valmont wrinkled his nose, feeling insulted. "You can inform your brother that what he did was barely a scratch on the surface. It is only the matter of time before The Dark Hand is two times mightier than when he came to the picture," he announced. After a split second, he lifted a curious brow and asked, "Why do you even care?"

The water demon shrugged. "I don't, but I'm getting tired of the silence. Now that I can talk to someone who is not repeating the same stupid 2,000-yeard-old jokes over and over again like my brother Xiao Fung, I intend to do it," she said.

"And why do you think that I'd be interested in talking to you?" Valmont asked. Unlike her, he had no shortage on company, though he wasn't sure if his options were any more intelligent than the annoying wind demon.

"It's better than silence," Bai Tsa said.

"I trust you'd share your life and secrets with me in return, then?" Valmont asked. He was expecting the drastic water demon to smirk down at him and describe exactly how exciting her life in the past had been, but to his surprise she did no such thing.

"That's not something you deserve to know!" she snapped after a brief moment of hesitation, during which a pained wince took over her features. Valmont would have missed it if he had blinked, and he had to wonder what was wrong with the demon now.

"Why don't we talk about our current problem instead?" he suggested to avoid the subject.

"If you had done your research, we could," Bai Tsa pointed out. She seemed annoyed by that her request for a talk had been turned down like that.

He remembered something and slipped his hand into his pocket, pulling out the piece of cloth that he had brought along from the empty village. He turned it around in his hands and tried to see if there was something they had missed about the picture on it. However, it was just as simple as last time and revealed nothing new. He sighed to himself as he put the cloth away, guessing that they would just have to wait until they reached the mountain they were heading for.

"So what would you like to know?" he asked after a moment.

"About what?" Bai Tsa asked.

"Well, my life!" Valmont guessed the demon hadn't really been that interested in the first place if she had already managed to forget all about ever asking about it. He wasn't sure why he was bringing the point up again, but he had noticed that the demon was almost tolerable company when they weren't arguing or sulking, so it was worth a shot.

"And here I thought that…" Bai Tsa started, and then stopped in the middle, not wanting to resume the argument, and said instead, "What does a crime lord do in the modern times?"

"Probably the same they did in the past, only with different methods. I prefer corporate scams and smuggling because they bring in the most money and are less dangerous than many other forms of the business," Valmont said. He wondered how many details he should be giving to Bai Tsa, but he soon decided that it was doubtful she would end up as a witness in court, so it didn't matter that much.

"Corporate scams?" Bai Tsa repeated.

"Tricking people and getting all their money all the while looking innocent," Valmont said.

The water demon's lips spread into a thin smile at that. "Hmm, I like the sound of that," she said. "Any good scams in the works?"

"Why do you want to know?"

"Humour me. Other people's misery always makes a fun story to hear," the demon said.

Valmont didn't quite agree since there was no point in hurting someone if you didn't gain something in the process, whether it was money or revenge, but he didn't say it out loud. To his surprise, he realised that he wanted to impress the demon with a grand story of his business, probably to show her that he wasn't useless at what he did, but there was currently not much going on with The Dark Hand.

"It's been a little quiet lately," he had to admit reluctantly.

Bai Tsa chuckled. "I take it you're still upset about how your friend ruined everything last time?" she asked.

What had happened in New York had been constantly in Valmont's mind ever since it had taken place, but he had calmed down somewhat after the first wave of anger and disappointment had subsided. Yes, he had lost a great deal of money and that bothered him, but there were other things to think about as well, such as what he was going to do about Domisch. Despite how angry he had been at the Swiss, he didn't want to lose the friendship they had. He figured he would have to give the man a call and offer some kind of apology once enough time had passed.

Then there was also Jackie. The meddlesome archaeologist and his friends thought he was dead now, and that information would surely be handed over to Captain Black. With Section 13 considering him dead, he had a great advantage at his hands; he would just have to come up with a plan to get the most out of it.

"Not really," Valmont said, realising he had been quiet and in his thoughts for a while now.

Bai Tsa cocked a suspicious brow at him. "I thought you said you didn't care about him at all," she reminded him of his earlier words.

"I was angry!" Valmont said. "Besides, his friendship is… slightly more important than money," he added with a defensive shrug, almost ashamed to say it. He guessed the demon would laugh at him and ridicule him for his pathetic weaknesses, but to his surprise, she only frowned thoughtfully.

"Hmm, I guess some allies are worth more than gold. You aren't stupid like Dai Gui," she said.

They had now come to the edge of the forest and were facing bare savannah again. Bai Tsa stopped in the shade and pulled her long black hair behind her shoulders, placing her hands on her hips as she surveyed the scene before them.

"I hope we aren't going to run into the animals again," she muttered.

Valmont hoped the same, but he knew they had no other choice but to risk it. Now that trees weren't in the way anymore, they could both clearly see the shape of a mountain in the distance, rising up to the grey sky.

"If we do, you'll have to wake me up again," he said, though that wasn't such a pleasing idea.

Bai Tsa seemed to think otherwise because she smirked and gave him a wink. "That's going to be a pleasure," she said, and though she wasn't in her real form, the clawing motion she made with her fingers made shivers go down Valmont's spine.

"Eh, why don't we go on, then?" he asked to change the subject. With that, the two of them left the forest behind them and started heading towards the mountain, unsure about what they would find once they reached it.

**To be continued… **


	11. Reaching the Mountain

I don't own JCA and this fanwork is not used to make any money.

I had enormous trouble writing this chapter so it would be interesting to know if you think it shows negatively in the quality.

**DEMONIC DREAMS**

**Chapter 11**

The sky was smudged with the same grey tone as before. The yellowish grass was dry and dusty under their feet, promising to give a good victim to any stray spark that might have needed something to demolish. Valmont was suddenly glad that he was stuck with the water demon and not her aggressive brother, Shendu.

He slit his eyes as he gazed towards the mountain. Savannah spread before them farther than the eye could reach, and the only sign of that it didn't go on endlessly was the mountain looming in the distance. Valmont guessed it would take them at least half a day to cross the grassy field and reach their destination, and that was if they were lucky and weren't interrupted by anything. The Brit felt reluctant to leave the relative sanctuary of the woods. In the forest they could hide themselves from curious eyes more easily and lose whoever might come after them, but they were an easy target in the open savannah.

Then again, so were their enemies.

"Look," Bai Tsa said all of a sudden.

Valmont turned his eyes to the direction the demon was pointing at and did a double take. He hadn't even noticed them at first, but now that he knew where to look, he could see the rows of various animals standing near the forest, partly hidden behind drying bushes. Though they were too far away for him to see the look on their faces, a shiver went down his spine nevertheless.

"What do you think they want?" he asked. The memory of the monkeys assaulting and biting them randomly was still too fresh in his mind, and he didn't care to repeat the experience.

Bai Tsa frowned thoughtfully. "There must be something in their mind. Last time they attacked us at once. Now they're just standing there," she observed.

"Maybe they haven't seen us yet," Valmont suggested.

"They must have. I think they're waiting for us," Bai Tsa said, her voice lowering into a whisper. She didn't turn to look at Valmont as she spoke, but the Brit could see her eyes slit as she glared at the demonic animals.

It made sense, Valmont mused. They hadn't run into any animals in the forest, so it was possible they dwelled on the savannah. Maybe they couldn't cross the line and enter the woodlands but were bound to the open fields, the only place where they could hunt.

He shivered again. The whole thing was starting to remind him of the kind of surreal B-class horror movies that he and his friends had watched at university parties. It was fun laughing at the corny special effects and idiotic plots, but getting inside such a story was far from entertaining – especially since these movies usually had high body counts.

"We have to cross the savannah if we want to make it to the mountain," he said.

Bai Tsa nodded. "Thank you for stating the obvious," she said, but there was hardly any irritation in her voice. "I wish Hsi Wu was here," she added.

"Which one was that again?" Valmont asked. He couldn't remember all the demons that well, especially since Shendu had been in control for most of those misadventures.

"The annoying one with wings," Bai Tsa said.

"Ah."

A silence followed. Valmont kept shifting his look from the animals to the mountain and measuring how long it would take for them to reach it if they ran really fast, and the result was too big for his liking. Then again, he assumed that Bai Tsa could simply sink her claws into him whenever the animals were about to catch them, and they'd continue with renewed energy the next time he fell asleep.

"I'd feel a lot more secure about this if you took your real form," he pointed out to the demon.

"As much as I don't like agreeing with you, so would I," Bai Tsa said. Still eyeing the animals warily, her shape started shifting. She grew taller, eventually looming over Valmont, her legs melted into one powerful tail, her skin turned into blue scales and almost all of her human features were twisted into the ugly face of a demon. It was a while since Valmont had last seen her like that, but to his surprise he didn't do a double-take in disgust. She was a horrible sight, yes, but it was starting to feel natural.

"I'm pretty fast like this," the demon said.

"What do you mean?" Valmont asked.

"I could scoop you up in my arms and make a run for it, so to speak. I bet we'd get farther away like that," Bai Tsa said.

"I'd rather run myself, thank you," Valmont said as he glanced up at the demon. Sure, it probably was the practical thing to do, but he couldn't help but feel uncomfortable when he thought about the demon carrying him. Having to get up on her shoulders earlier on had been bad enough, and he could still remember what her dry scales had felt like against the skin of his hands.

Besides, he'd then be at the demon's mercy and that thought gave him a heavy feeling in his stomach, like he had eaten something bad that was now trying to crawl back out through his skin.

Bai Tsa rolled her eyes, having realised what was going on in his mind. "You're exactly like Tso Lan," she said, and her tone made it clear it wasn't a compliment.

"He's the moon demon, right?" Valmont asked. He didn't know whether to be thankful about it or not, but he had no clear memories of their adventure in space and the moon demon was perhaps the most obscure one of the demonic family to him.

"Yes, and the most uptight prick I've known in my life. If he had to choose between being handled by a female and getting torn to shreds by the enemy, he'd pick the latter as well," Bai Tsa said.

"Don't put words in my mouth. I'm not uptight just because I refuse to be treated like I'm worthless and can't do anything on my own," Valmont snapped.

Bai Tsa blinked. "You're such an idiot! It's a fact that I'm faster than you, or have you forgotten how I escaped from Chan and his friends in Rome? This has nothing to do with that you're a pathetic mortal, though I must thank you for reminding me!" she hissed.

Valmont was certain that if he did or said the wrong thing and upset the demon any further, they'd go back another square and resume their old useless arguments that never led anywhere and were only a waste of time.

"I'm still planning on walking," he announced defiantly. If he gave in now, Bai Tsa might start to think she had some kind of power of him, and then she'd expect him to act like a slave. He'd rather trade insults with her than try to climb back from a pitfall like that.

"So, you don't trust me?" Bai Tsa asked with slit eyes. There was an edgy tone in her voice that made Valmont lift a brow in surprise.

"What?" he asked. "Of course I don't trust you! You're a demon!" he blurted.

Bai Tsa didn't say anything to that, and Valmont wondered if that had been the wrong answer. But what else could he have said? It was a simple truth that in normal circumstances he wouldn't have even dared to turn his back on Bai Tsa, not to mention let her carry him around like a doll. Surely the demon knew that? And if not, what did she expect?

"Should I trust you?" he asked, frowning in doubt. The water demon had given him no reason to do so, quite the contrary in fact.

"After being stuck in a situation like this for as long as we have, I would expect most people to be a little more trusting," Bai Tsa remarked. She didn't sound upset, so Valmont was fairly certain he hadn't hurt her feelings. The mere idea of being able to make an evil and power-hungry demon like Bai Tsa feel bad with mere words was so ludicrous that he felt like laughing out loud. She was just being practical and didn't like being denied.

"Let's just get going. I might wake up at any moment," he said in order to turn their attention back to what was important. He was sleeping in an aeroplane, so they didn't have an eternity at their hands.

"Finally you say something sensible," the water demon said.

They took their first steps towards the savannah, and Valmont felt more and more insecure the farther away they got from the safety of the forest. He kept his eyes glued to the rows of animals and every muscle in his body was so tense that he almost stumbled as he walked. If the animals as much as even shifted, he would bolt right back to the forest and reconsider this plan.

He glanced briefly at Bai Tsa who was slithering in the lead. Though she was fast, she kept the distance between them as short as possible. It was fine with Valmont; he would be happy to have the demon close by if the animals decided to do anything.

For the time being, nothing happened. Their silent observers were sitting like they were made of stone, not moving or even turning their head to glare at them. As creepy as the sight of the zombie-like creatures was, Valmont was starting to relax. Maybe they had been paranoid, maybe the animals didn't want anything of them after all.

Then something moved and his heart jumped to his throat. A slender cheetah was taking lazy steps towards them, like it was in no hurry to reach them.

"Bai Tsa," he warned the demon who hadn't yet noticed the animal.

"What?" she asked, the worried tone in his voice making her turn back to look at him. Then her eyes spotted the cheetah as well and she froze for a split second.

"They're blocking our way back to the forest," she growled under her breath. As she said these words, more animals left their places in the row and repositioned themselves between the forest and the two of them. Valmont knew that trying to get back to safety was a lost cause, which left them with only one option.

"Let's try to get as far as we can before they reach us," he said.

Bai Tsa didn't need to be told twice. With one swish of her tail, she had leapt into motion and was on her way before Valmont even had the time to start. He swallowed an annoyed objection to this and sprinted after her, though it was clear that he would never reach her if she kept going like that. The demon hadn't lied when she had said she was fast.

How can she do that without legs, Valmont wondered.

He wasn't bad either, and glancing behind his shoulder and seeing a mixed group of monkeys, zebras and antelopes pursuing him made him find strength that he hadn't known he had. Had he always been able to run like that, he guessed he wouldn't have embarrassed his sports team back at the boarding school.

Valmont tried to measure how far the mountain still was, and to his dismay he realised that it was at least a couple of more miles. He would never be able to keep ahead of the animals that long, and since Bai Tsa was already that far away, there'd be no help coming from her. His only option was waking up, which shouldn't be a problem since pain always resulted in that.

Something grabbed his leg all of a sudden and he fell on his face to the ground, letting out a faint yelp. He saw that one of those horrible grey monkeys had caught up with him and was now hanging onto his knee, growling and glaring at him with enormous wide eyes.

"Get off!" Valmont snapped and tried to kick the thing away, not wanting to touch it with his hands. Unfortunately, the monkey was like glued to him and was digging its claws into Valmont's skin, like it was hoping to reach his bones through his flesh.

Valmont staggered back to his feet, a difficult task with a monkey hanging onto him, and it was then that he noticed all the other animals that were about to reach him. Among them were five more monkeys, two zebras and a cheetah. If possible, his eyes grew even wider at the sight and, forgetting all about the monkey for a moment, he tried to resume his escape. This only resulted in him falling back to the ground. He tried to yell to get Bai Tsa's attention, but the air was knocked out of his lungs as something heavy landed on him and pinned him painfully against the ground.

Why am I not waking up, he wondered in panic as his lungs burned from the impact and the lack of air. Lesser pain had caused him to leave the dream world before. He waited another split second, but then the feeling of sharp claws digging into his back convinced him that there was no waking up this time, and he used all his strength to roll away from under whatever had hit him.

Hot pain flashed through his back as the claws tore through his skin, but that was the price he had to pay for getting free again. The monkey was no longer clutching onto him but had stepped back when the latest assailant, which Valmont now realised was a cheetah, had attacked.

The slender animal glared at him with empty eyes and its mouth hanging half-open, revealing the tips of sharp teeth. Valmont had always thought that cheetahs were the most harmless of felines after domestic cats because they didn't look as a dangerous as lions or tigers, but it took only one look at the creature to change his opinion.

"Nice cat," he hushed as he took another step away, but he barely heard his own voice from the thumping of his heart. How was he supposed to get out of this situation if he wasn't going to wake up?

The cheetah let out a low growl and Valmont winced as he saw the animal's muscles tense, getting ready for a leap that would end up in a lot of pain for him. Though he knew it was useless, he turned around on his heels and ran as fast as he could, to win even a few seconds more time before entering a world of hurt.

He barely made it twenty feet away when the cheetah slammed against his back and pulled him back to the ground. Valmont cried out in pain as the feline bit down in his leg, trying to immobilize him like a helpless prey. He tried aiming a kick at the cat's face, but the creature was a lot stronger than Valmont had expected and he could barely move his legs.

Panic kicked in and his mindless trashing only managed to get him more hurt, but he barely realised this. Some instinct told him that he should try to keep his neck away from the feline's teeth so brought up his arm in an attempt to protect the area that was most vulnerable to an attack.

From the corner of his eye, he saw how the monkey and the rest of the group were simply sitting and watching the cheetah do its work. Had he been any less concerned about his life, Valmont might have wondered why animals who were enemies in the real world could work together like this in the dream land.

Suddenly, he felt a breeze brush against his neck and then the weigh of the cheetah disappeared from on top of him, followed by a low thud somewhere to his left. Valmont rolled on his back to see what had happened, and the first thing his eyes caught was the blue and slender form of the water demon, her tail retreating from the hit that had sent the cheetah sprawling to the ground.

"Bai Tsa! What --" Valmont started, but his question turned into a yelp as the demon charged at him and scooped him up in her arms. He was too startled by this to even complain about his wounds or how roughly she was handling him and could only stare at her with wide eyes. Where had she appeared from so suddenly?

"Trust me now?" the demon asked with a smirk. Valmont barely understood the words, but he nodded numbly.

The cheetah was struggling to get back on its feet, so Bai Tsa took this as her cue to get away as fast as possible. The scenery around them was a brownish blur in Valmont's eyes as the demon raced, and he realised it had been stupid of him to refuse this method of travel earlier.

He dared one glance behind them, but the animals were too far behind to reach them now. The cheetah was injured and couldn't catch up, and it couldn't have kept up its famous speed long enough to get to them anyway. At least for the time being, they were safe, and that allowed Valmont's thoughts to start circling other things.

The fact that the other side of his face was pressed against Bai Tsa's breast was one such topic. Valmont couldn't think why he was suddenly aware of this fact since his companion was far from beautiful and she wasn't even human, so he shouldn't have noticed such things about her.

I hope Uncle Bernie's problem doesn't run in the family, he thought with sudden worry. Then his mind, completely against his will, of course, started wondering why Bai Tsa wasn't wearing any clothes, even though her brothers did. And then he realised that Po Kong didn't have clothes either, and the mental image he got from that shook him so that even Bai Tsa noticed.

"Why are you making such faces? Do your wounds hurt?" she asked.

"No!" Valmont snapped in a snappier tone than he had been intending.

He was more than relieved when they reached the bottom of the mountain with no further incidents and the water demon put him down. Valmont winced a little as he had to put weigh on his injured legs, but he had suffered worse. It was the claw marks on his back that were mostly bothering him.

"What happened?" Bai Tsa asked. Valmont tried to guess the emotion behind her voice, but the demon sounded indifferent, like she was doing it on purpose.

"What do you think? They got me!" he said and pointed both hands towards the savannah to illustrate his point. The two of them could still see the animals as small dots in the distance, but they didn't seem to be getting closer.

The demon's face twitched like she was doing her best not to smirk. "That wouldn't have happened if you had listened to me," she pointed out.

Valmont swallowed. Bai Tsa was more than right and he knew something bad would have happened to him if she hadn't come back for him, but saying either of these things out loud was difficult, as if he had something stuck in his throat. He wasn't the kind of person who liked to show gratitude, and it was especially hard when his helper was someone he didn't like.

"I know," he admitted. Even those two words felt like he was giving in too much.

"Maybe you'll remember that next time you decide you can't trust me," Bai Tsa said, and now some emotion finally crept into her voice. It was arrogance, and it stung like salt in Valmont's wounds.

"There is something that worries me," he said. He rolled up his trousers a little to reveal some of the cuts the monkey had given him and showed them to Bai Tsa.

"I could do worse," she commented.

"I don't doubt that," Valmont said with a frown. "But even these should be painful enough to wake me up, and yet I'm still here."

Bai Tsa's eyes widened in surprise as she realised what Valmont was getting at, and she immediately lost the smug aura around her, letting out a hiss in thought.

"You're right," she admitted. Valmont noted that she didn't have trouble saying something like that to him.

"I should have woken up the moment the monkey dug its claws into me," he said. He ran his fingers through his hair, only to notice that it was covered in sand and that his ponytail had come half-loose.

I must look terrible, he realised with disdain.

"That would have been an easy way out. I don't think we should be expecting anything to work in our favour here," Bai Tsa said.

"But it happened before, remember?" Valmont snapped. "When you… kissed me that first time, slapped me, threw a vase at me, and attacked me! Why not now?"

"I didn't realise my kiss was that painful," Bai Tsa said. Now she was definitely smirking, and from the sneaky look in her eyes, Valmont was certain that she was thinking back to that moment when they had first appeared in this world. His traitorous thoughts turned to that subject as well before he could stop himself, and he shuddered as he remembered how the demon had climbed on top of him and… He wondered what would have happened if he hadn't started to question her back then.

"I believe immense disgust does the trick as well," he said carefully, forcing his mind out of the gutter. To his horror, he realised that the idea of Bai Tsa sitting on him in her human form wasn't quite as dreadful as it should have been. He quickly banished the idea by glancing at her and reminding himself that in truth she was an overgrown fish with attitude.

"Well, you're a bad kisser anyway," Bai Tsa muttered childishly.

"As I was saying," Valmont said loudly, "the point is that I didn't wake up when I should have. That must mean something."

A terrifying idea suddenly struck him. "What if we're stuck? What if we can't get back anymore?" he asked.

Bai Tsa didn't look worried. "It's possible, but I think it's more likely that you didn't awaken because it wasn't me who caused the pain this time."

"It sounds probable," Valmont said. It was true, every occasion when he had woken up because of pain had been a result of Bai Tsa getting angry at him, or in the case of that one attack, the two of them panicking. If what she was suggesting was true, it meant that the only way for them to get away in case of danger was for the demon to dig her claws into him.

All of a sudden, Valmont didn't want to be separated from her again.

* * *

Bai Tsa pondered the new information they had just deducted and wondered what it meant. There had to be a reason only she could wake Valmont up, but she couldn't imagine what it was. She would have to talk about the issue with Tso Lan once again, though she doubted the moon demon knew more than she did.

"Do you want to give it a try?" she asked.

"What?" Valmont asked as he lifted his eyes to her in surprise. Bai Tsa had noticed that he had been dozing off in his thoughts a lot lately, and she had to admit she was curious about what he was thinking about.

"I mean my theory. If I try pulling your insides out, you should wake up," she said with an impatient growl. "Or maybe I should kiss you again," she added coyly.

"No!" Valmont blurted and stepped back, bringing his hands up to protect him from the threat. "I mean, why waste this opportunity? We should continue on our way since I'm still asleep."

Bai Tsa grimaced. She couldn't understand why the human was being so paranoid about the whole issue. It wasn't like she wanted to start a relationship with him or anything, but even mere teasing seemed to drive the man over the edge.

He really must think I am disgusting, she thought to herself. It shouldn't have bothered her because that was how humans tended to view demons, but there was something about this case that gave her an uneasy feeling. Maybe it was that Valmont obviously liked her more when she was in her human form, and then he acted like he had almost forgotten who he was actually dealing with. She didn't like the idea of pretending to be someone else just so that the man could behave himself.

And it's not like he's that desirable either, she mused angrily. As far as she was concerned, black was the only acceptable hair colour and human eyes should be dark. Valmont looked like the exact opposite of all her past human lovers.

"As you wish. Let's go then," she said and nodded to her left where a small path was slithering upwards.

The mountain was far taller than either of them had expected, and though there was a clear path for them to follow, Bai Tsa knew that it would be a long and difficult journey to the top. She was certain that there would be obstacles ahead of them and that they would be the underdogs in case they had to fight. She wasn't used to battling in her human form, and she couldn't do much of anything because her real form was not suitable for a fight on a steep path.

She glanced briefly to her side where Valmont was struggling to keep up with her pace. She had seen him fight before, so she counted on that he would have no trouble driving off anyone who might give them trouble – not that she needed to be protected, of course.

Again, she had to wonder what they would find at the mountaintop. The clue they had found in the hut was certainly pointing them to that direction, but for all they knew it could be a trap. Maybe there was something terrible waiting for them. If they were extremely lucky, it might be something that would end this nightmare for them, but it was also possible that Khala was simply playing with them.

The image of the dark hunter spirit made Bai Tsa glance around, and even though she couldn't see or hear any sign of him, she wasn't satisfied. Khala had been trapped in this world for thousands of years, and he knew all the tricks, traps, and dangers that she and Valmont could fall for, and no doubt was sinister enough to use all of them to his advantage.

He must be using us to get out of here, she thought as she recalled the conversation she had had with Valmont last time. That meant that there was a way out, and maybe even she could use it to enter the real world this way and leave the Netherworld forever. Her body was still in the void since Tso Lan reported she was asleep whenever these adventures took place, but she wasn't going to give up on that thin sliver of hope just yet.

There was so much for her to do in the real world that the mere idea of getting back filled her with dark glee. She hadn't let herself ponder these plans much after being banished again because she knew she couldn't take the disappointment of never achieving all that, but now that she had some hope again, she found herself plunging right into her fantasies.

First, she would find Chan and his family and kill them all, as slowly and painfully as possible and starting from the little girl. Chan would spend hours watching his loved ones tortured to death and Bai Tsa would cherish every scream and tear and plea for mercy. Then, after everyone else was dead, she would take Chan in more ways than he could ever imagine and maybe let him die after a year or two once he was so broken that tormenting him was no more fun.

Maybe she would let Valmont watch. He, too, had a bone to pick with Chan, and he might find the man's pain amusing.

"What kind of torture methods do you like?" she asked.

"What?" Valmont asked in bewilderment, staring at her with wide eyes. Then his expression grew suspicious and he added, "I prefer not to be tortured in any way, thank you!"

"I wasn't talking about you!" Bai Tsa snapped. "I meant Chan! Once I get back to the real world, I will show him in exactly how many ways it is possible to make a man beg for the finishing blow!"

Valmont grimaced a little. "Back to the real world? I thought the old Chan's spells sealed your portals permanently," he pointed out.

The water demon felt like strangling the Brit right there for reminding her of that, but she quickly told herself to calm down. It wouldn't do to ruin their chance to reach the mountaintop.

"I know that, but do you think that's going to stop me? There are always ways around spells," she hissed. She decided it wasn't a good idea to tell Valmont about her plans. It was possible the man might try something foolish, like stopping her. He had joined forces with Chan and fought against her before, after all.

"Inform me of your arrival beforehand so that I know to move to inner land," Valmont said with an indifferent tone in his voice.

"You don't believe that I can do it?" Bai Tsa asked.

"I didn't say that."

"But you meant it. Don't play with me. I have the knowledge of thousands of years on my side. Some sealing spell performed by a senile mortal isn't going to stop me," the demon threatened.

Valmont shrugged. "As you wish, but I have to remind you that you and your siblings failed spectacularly time after time because of that senile mortal. You shouldn't underestimate him," he said.

Bai Tsa snorted. "And what do you know about magic?" she asked.

Valmont frowned now, the line of his lips turning slightly downwards in annoyance. "Do I have to remind you that the old Chan was able to seal Shendu inside me? I don't think holding back a demon like that is an easy trick," he argued.

"He did that?" Bai Tsa asked in surprise. It was true that she had wondered what kind of game Shendu had been playing back when she had tried to flood San Francisco, but she had simply assumed that her younger brother had wanted to let her have her fun and had only joined in after things turned difficult for them.

"Yes," Valmont said, stressing the word. "I asked him to," he added then.

"_You_ asked the old fool to do that?" Bai Tsa asked. She couldn't help but stare at the human, who shifted uncomfortably under her eyes.

"Why do you sound so surprised? Of course I tried to get rid of Shendu the moment an opportunity presented itself!" he said.

"I can understand that. He really is a twat," Bai Tsa admitted, "but I didn't think you had it in you to defy a demon like that. Do you have any idea what he could have done to you?"

"My imagination is quite vivid," Valmont muttered.

And you still risked Shendu's wrath, Bai Tsa thought to herself. Though Shendu wasn't the most powerful of the demon sorcerers, he was easily the most frightening one and made up for his lack of power with his tongue, which could reduce even the bravest of men to sobbing fools with just a few examples of the torture the dragon was capable of. Few were those mortals who had had the courage to go against her brother.

Maybe he didn't know what Shendu could really do, Bai Tsa thought as she glanced sideways to Valmont, but somehow she found it doubtful. The man had been carrying Shendu's soul in his body for months by the time of the betrayal, and he would have been an idiot not to catch glimpses of Shendu's mind. And though she did it with reluctance, Bai Tsa had to admit that Valmont was no fool.

He is very brave, then, she decided. She couldn't help but feel just a tad of newfound admiration for the man.

"How long do we have to keep walking?" Valmont wondered by her side. She guessed his wounds were hurting, and she smirked slightly at his discomfort.

"Getting tired? Do you want me to carry you again?" she teased.

"Absolutely not," Valmont said, and Bai Tsa believed that he'd rather faint from exhaustion than submit to her will like that again. Brave men had the tendency to be idiots as well.

She gazed up the path ahead of them, but she was no better at determining the remaining journey. As the path had become steeper and steeper step by step, their travelling had slowed down and become harder – especially for Bai Tsa who was still slithering in her true form.

"Hsi Wu would be useful right now," she said, hoping for the second time that her younger brother was there. The sky demon was annoyingly whiny and bratty from time to time, but at least he could have flown up in minutes and eased their journey considerably.

"Just my luck to be stuck with the most useless demon," Valmont commented.

"I didn't know you would have rather kissed Hsi Wu. I'll tell him when I get back," Bai Tsa said. She looked expectantly at the Brit, waiting for him to freak out or snap at her, but he did no such thing. Instead, the man merely rolled his eyes and sighed in exasperation. Maybe he really was tired.

"You're no fun when you're like that," she pointed out. "Do you want to wake up? Because my claws have been itching for a while."

Valmont turned to her and opened his mouth to say something, but it was then that the both of them noticed something. There was a familiar person standing on the path ahead of them, and both the man and the demon stopped at once.

"I was wondering when he would show up," Bai Tsa muttered. She glared at Khala's unmoving form, waiting for the spirit to say or do something, anything, to reveal his intentions. There had to be something he wanted from the two of them.

It felt like minutes had passed before Khala finally said anything.

"You're very slow."

Bai Tsa blinked and glanced at Valmont, but the man seemed equally puzzled.

"We weren't aware that there was a time limit," Valmont said. Bai Tsa certainly hoped there wasn't. The last thing they needed was another obstacle in their way.

"There isn't, but I was expecting you would have reached the mountaintop already," Khala said. The expressionless mask on his face and his slow and patient voice unnerved Bai Tsa somewhat because she knew the spirit could jump into motion and take the both of them by surprise if he wanted, and she didn't like it when people were something other than what they looked like.

"I take it that means you'll gain something if we complete this journey. What makes you think we want to help you?" she asked and she straightened to her full height. Even as she was hovering taller than the spirit, she didn't feel very confident in his presence.

Khala didn't say anything and at first Bai Tsa thought that he wasn't going to offer an answer. Then he spoke, and this time his voice was a low rumble that seemed to emerge from the very depth of the mountain under them.

"Being imprisoned here for thousands of years has made me very patient. I can wait until you see reason," he said.

"You wish to find a way out of this world," Bai Tsa stated. She hoped that she could lure the spirit into revealing more about his plans so that she could come up with her own strategy and escape. Maybe she could even strike a deal with Khala.

Khala tilted his head curiously. "Do I? Maybe. It is not a very pressing matter, and I'm still undecided about whether I should simply devour your souls instead. It has been long since I've last eaten."

"Oh, I'd like to see you try," Bai Tsa hissed, though in the back of her head she knew that it wouldn't be an easy fight. Khala had already bested her before and they were in a realm that she didn't know and couldn't get away from without Valmont's help.

She glanced briefly at the man to make sure he was still there with her.

Khala bent his knees and Bai Tsa stiffened, certain that the spirit would bounce on her, but she was surprised to see him simply sit down and cross his legs.

"Not now. I find the taste better when the soul is devastated and knows there is no escape. You're too self-confident at the moment," he said. Then he pointed one black finger towards the mountaintop. "Do not let me keep you from your destination."

Bai Tsa and Valmont looked at each other and shrugged. The water demon guessed that Valmont didn't feel any more at ease than she did, but at the moment they didn't really have any options other than doing exactly what Khala wanted.

"Did you have to talk to him like that?" Valmont snapped as soon as they were out of earshot.

"What? Would you have wanted to me grovel at his feet? I'm a demon sorcerer!" Bai Tsa snapped right back.

"There are times when it's better to swallow your pride," Valmont said, his voice tight with anger.

"Like you did with Shendu?" Bai Tsa challenged.

"That was different! I had a chance against him, but if you anger Khala, there is no telling what he will do!"

"He's not going to do anything. Haven't you already realised it? He's just playing with us and watching how we jump every time he shows up. He likes it," Bai Tsa said.

"Well, it does take a demon to know one," Valmont muttered and Bai Tsa had to roll her eyes. They were falling back to their routine of snapping insults at each other and it was so pathetic that she couldn't even bring herself to be angry about it.

"Not that again. We have to try confronting him if we want to know exactly what is going on. I don't know about you, but I don't want to do blindly everything he says. Who knows, maybe he's the one who planted these clues for us?" she asked.

Valmont lifted his brows. "Do you think it was him?"

"Who else is there?"

"Alright, fine," Valmont said after a brief moment of consideration. "I see your point, but we should still be careful." Then he frowned.

"What now?" Bai Tsa asked.

Valmont rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "You say it must have been Khala who planted the clues, but he couldn't have had any idea that we'd end up here. We're in this mess because of that woman who cursed me," he said.

"And yet this place has rocks painted with our images," Bai Tsa concluded. She had already forgotten all about the woman, even though finding out more about her spell had been one of their main priorities.

"It cannot be a mere coincidence," Valmont reasoned, but neither of them liked where that line of thought was leading.

"I'll talk about this with Tso Lan," Bai Tsa decided. Valmont got the hint and shut up about he subject.

They continued their climbing in silence. Bai Tsa's thoughts turned to how long they had been travelling already, and she had to wonder if Valmont was going to wake up any time soon. This dream had lasted longer than any of the others.

She noted how it was getting colder and how the air smelled just a tad clearer now. She shivered at the feeling of cool sand and stones against her scales, but she was determined not to let it bother her.

Neither of them was expecting them to reach the mountaintop any time soon, which was why they stopped to stare in surprise when they realised they had come to a point where the path stopped. For one dreadful moment Bai Tsa thought they would have to continue by climbing, but then she saw a little circle of rocks that she hadn't noticed at once. There was fog in the air, making everything farther than a few feet away look like dreamy blur.

"That's it?" she asked, though she was pleased they didn't have to go any higher. It was already cold enough.

"Don't tell me you're disappointed that we didn't run into any trouble," Valmont said.

"You have to admit that this is rather anti-climatic after how we had to battle Khala last time," the demon replied.

"I prefer it this way," Valmont said. He knelt down beside the rocks and picked up a wooden plate that had been placed at the centre of the ring. Bai Tsa towered over his shoulder to get a look at it. She wasn't surprised to notice that it was another crude drawing of them, this time swimming in something that looked like a large lake with waterfalls around it.

"I think I'm going to like that," she said with a grin. Valmont only groaned.

"I'm getting tired of this fetch quest. I feel like I'm a character in a mediocre fantasy book whose author has no concept of originality," he muttered.

Bai Tsa wondered briefly what kind of fantasies Valmont liked to read about, but she decided to ask him about it later when the man was in a better mood and more probable to share such intimate details with her.

They started getting back from the mountain. As they passed the point where they had met Khala, they saw that the spirit was still sitting there in that same position, unmoving and silent. It was only when they had already passed him in a hurry that he spoke again.

"Now that the wind blows this way, I can almost taste your soul, demon. Maybe I will have a bite the next time we meet."

**To be continued… **


End file.
